Georgia’s teen motorists do not have the same degree of driving experience as older motorists. They are also quite susceptible to distraction. While the same things that distract older drivers also divert teen drivers’ attention away from the task at hand, research shows that something else poses a serious threat, not only to teenage drivers but to everyone they come across on the roadway: teenage passengers.
AAA Newsroom reports that teen passengers are a major source of distraction for young drivers. Teen passengers are such a distraction that when they are in a teen driver’s car and that car winds up in a wreck, everyone in the wreck becomes 51% more likely to die due to the teen passenger being there.
How much teen passengers affect fatal accident rates
When those driving or riding in vehicles not driven by the teenager end up in crashes with a teen driver, they face a 56%-higher chance of a fatality when that teen driver has a teenage passenger along for the ride. If the teen driver strikes anyone traveling on foot or by bicycle, those individuals also become more likely to die because there was a teen passenger in the teen motorist’s car.
How much older passengers affect fatal crash rates
When teenage motorists have passengers who are 35 years of age or above, having a passenger present actually cuts fatal crash risks. The adult passenger makes everyone involved in a wreck 8% less likely to die in a car accident.
Research shows clear evidence that is a passenger’s age, and not a passenger’s mere presence, that raises fatality risks for teenage motorists.
