STATEN ISLAND, New York — In recent years, research has shown that teen drivers are more likely to be involved in a more serious accident than their older counterparts, but new technology is helping to buck that trend.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released a new study that found that using common accident prevention features along with new teen-specific vehicle technologies could prevent more than 75% of teen driver deaths.
We know that these technologies do not prevent crashes 100 percent of the time, but our analysis shows that the potential benefits for teen drivers could be enormous if they are used excessively,” said IIHS research scientist Alexandra Merler. .
Motor vehicle accidents are currently the leading cause of death for American youth between the ages of 15 and 18, with speeding, low belt use and experience not playing a major role.
In 2018, more than 2,100 Americans died in accidents involving teen drivers, and 719 deaths were caused by teen drivers themselves, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) report.
From 2015 to 2019, speed was a factor in 43% of teen driver and passenger deaths.
For all other ages, only 30% of road accidents were speeding, indicating that teen driver-to-passenger fatalities are involved. motor driver.
In a new study from the IIHS, teen drivers are four times more likely to fall than drivers over the age of 20, and drivers over the age of 80 are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than any other age group. is more likely.
But researchers say many of these problems can be mitigated through the use of popular accident prevention techniques such as lead crashes and lane departures and new teen-specific vehicle technology such as parent-controlled speed controls and real-time driving warnings. can.
Teen-specific vehicle technologies, such as Ford’s Mickey and GM’s Teen Driver, allow parents to set speed limits for their teen drivers and trigger active gear shifts or stereo settings when in the front seat. The occupants are not wearing belts.
Meanwhile, mobile processors like Hyundai’s Bluing and Chrome Social’s Mamapear can issue parents Dean driver report cards and allow them to receive real-time alerts whenever they want.