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Are You Confident Your Teen is Ready to Drive for Prom?

New study pinpoints what happens before teen driver crashes

Denver, Colorado (April 16, 2011) - Each year teens eagerly anticipate prom season by preparing for the dance and late night celebrations with their friends. Many teens also drive to and from prom events, which can be an open invitation to a car crash due in part to their lack of experience.

A new study from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm® hones in on the most common errors teen drivers make leading up to a serious crash. Teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes at four times the rate of adults. The findings were published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.

Researchers analyzed a nationally-representative federal database of more than 800 crashes involving teen drivers and identified a few common “critical errors” that are often one of the last in a chain of events leading up to a crash. Seventy-five percent of these crashes were due a critical teen driver error, with three common errors accounting for nearly half of all serious crashes. Among crashes with a teen driver error:

• Twenty-one percent occurred due to lack of scanning that is needed to detect and respond to hazards. Scanning involves observing the surroundings far ahead of the vehicle and side-to-side, not just immediately in front of the hood. It is a higher-level skill that experienced drivers develop over time. The study authors note that developing effective ways to teach this skill sooner in the learning-to-drive process could reduce teen crash risk. Pilot tests of this type of training have shown promise in increasing hazard detection and response skills among novice drivers.
• Twenty-one percent occurred due to going too fast road conditions, (for example, driving too fast to respond to others, or to successfully navigate a curve)
• Twenty percent occurred due to being distracted by something inside or outside the vehicle.

The researchers note that environmental conditions, such as poor weather, vehicle malfunction, aggressive driving, or physical impairments such as drowsy driving were not primary factors in most crashes.

“At betterteendriving.com State Farm offers tips for parents when talking to their kids about driving safely,” said State Farm spokeswoman Angela Thorpe. “It's important that parents set house rules and stress the rules are in place for safety, not control. Also, simply listening to your teen can tune you into whether or not they’re really ready for new privileges, such as driving later at night or with a date.”

For more information about the CHOP and State Farm study visit: http://www.statefarm.com/aboutus/_pressreleases/2011/new-study-pinpoints-what-happens-right-before-teens-crash.asp

Contact

Angela Thorpe, State Farm Public Affairs, (303) 264-1560.

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