Clark, Perdue & List's Blog

Did you know that vehicular accidents are the leading cause of death for 16-20 year olds? A teen driving website for parents and future drivers, www.DriveHomeSafe.com, reports that 14% of drivers killed in auto accidents are teens. Of that number, 45% had a youth passenger in the car.

These sobering statistics no doubt played a part in the enactment of legislation that became effective April 6, 2007. It is now illegal in Ohio for drivers who are younger than 18 to have in their car more than one passenger who is not a family member.

Why? Statistics show that a teen driver's risk for accidents is doubled by the presence of one passenger. The risk triples with two passengers and increases by six with three or more passengers.

Of course numerous other factors contribute to teen injuries and deaths from auto accidents. Those include:

• Thee sheer lack of driving skill and experience;
• Immature practices such as tailgating and not utilizing safety belts;
• The tendency for young drivers to drive smaller vehicles that provide less protection in front-end crashes than do mid-sized and larger cars;
• The fact that teens are more likely than older drivers to cause an accident and to be involved in a single car crash;
• Teen lifestyle, such as staying up late, which compromises the ability to stay alert; and, of course,
• The rampant use of cell phones and other text messaging devices.

While the law does not address all of these concerns, the Ohio Department of Public Safety reports that in other states that have enacted similar laws, accidents involving teen drivers have dropped by 23%. That's a significant number and a comforting thought at a time when it is projected that by the year 2010, the number of drivers between the ages of 16-20 will have grown by 23%.

For more driving tips, information, resources and other links for parents and teens, go to www.teendriving.com.