AAA Mid-Atlantic Launches Campaign to Fight Young Driver Deaths
23 September 1997
AAA Mid-Atlantic Launches Campaign to Fight Young Driver DeathsPHILADELPHIA, Sept. 23 -- AAA Mid-Atlantic has launched a campaign to help curb the leading cause of death among young people, a problem that could worsen as the population of teenagers increases significantly. The campaign -- "Licensed to Learn: A Safety Program for New Drivers" -- targets the high rate of crashes and fatalities among novice drivers ages 15 to 20, and calls for a series of key action steps. This initiative is part of a national campaign that will be coordinated with activities by AAA clubs in all 50 states. "Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among 15 to 20 year olds, and are responsible for nearly one-third of the deaths in this age group," said AAA President Robert L. Darbelnet, "Yet in a survey conducted by AAA, only 22 percent of 1,000 respondents identified traffic crashes as the greatest threat to teenagers. Almost half listed the biggest risk as drug addiction, which ranks 28th among all causes of death for persons in that age group." Drivers 15 to 20 years old account for only 7 percent of the driving population but are involved in 14 percent of all fatal traffic crashes and nearly 20 percent of total crashes. More than 6,300 drivers and passengers ages 15 to 20 years died in traffic crashes in 1996 -- an average of more than 17 deaths each day. Fatalities could soar to 7,500 per year by 2012 -- more than 20 per day -- as the number of young drivers increases by 25 percent in the next 15 years. In 76 percent of fatal crashes involving 15 to 20 year old drivers, police reports show driver error or other factors related driver behavior as the cause of the crash. AAA Mid-Atlantic says most crashes involving young drivers are caused by inexperience, poor driving skills, risk-taking or poor decision making. "Mistakes are part of any learning process, including driving," Darbelnet said. "The issue is how to minimize the likelihood that crashes will occur while young people are learning to drive and how best to protect them from injury." The problem extends beyond teenage drivers to the young people riding with them. Two thirds of teen passengers killed were in vehicles driven by another teen. The "Licensed to Learn" program contains three key action steps: -- Raise awareness of the importance of novice driver safety and incorporate the issue into the national public health agenda. -- Mandate more behind-the-wheel driving experience, provide guidelines for selecting driver education courses and increase parent involvement in teen driver training. -- Implement a graduated licensing system for novice drivers and eliminate deficiencies in the licensing process that allow new drivers to become fully licensed without assuring they are ready to drive. "We must provide an opportunity for new drivers to gain experience in the safest possible on-road environment since much of what novice drivers need to learn about responsible driving can only come from behind-the-wheel experience," said Regina M. Tracy, AAA Mid-Atlantic public affairs manager. AAA Mid-Atlantic encourages parents to request a free copy of the "License to Learn" report by sending a post card with your request to: AAA Public Affairs, License to Learn, 2040 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. AAA Mid-Altantic is the fourth largest AAA-affiliated automobile club providing travel, automotive, insurance and financial services to more than 2.2 million members in the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey and the District of Columbia. Persons Killed, by State and Age Group 1995/1996 Age Group (Years)(A) 1995 1996 State 16-20 21-24 Total Killed Total Killed AL 161 (14.5%) 124 (11.1%) 1,113 1,143 AK 8 (9.2%) 4 (4.6%) 87 80 AZ 117 (11.3%) 103 (10.0%) 1,031 993 AR 108 (17.1%) 54 (8.6%) 631 615 CA 503 (12.0%) 436 (10.4%) 4,192 3,989 CO 98 (15.2%) 64 (9.9%) 645 617 CT 41 (12.9%) 37 (11.7%) 317 310 DE 11 (9.1%) 12 (9.9%) 121 116 DC 5 (8.6%) 11 (19.0%) 58 62 FL 309 (11.0%) 238 (8.5%) 2,805 2,753 GA 193 (13.0%) 161 (10.8%) 1,488 1,574 HI 17 (13.1%) 20 (15.4%) 130 148 ID 54 (20.6%) 29 (11.1%) 262 258 IL 236 (14.9%) 171 (10.8%) 1,586 1,477 IN 135 (14.1%) 121 (12.6%) 960 984 IA 79 (15.0%) 63 (12.0%) 527 465 KS 55 (12.4%) 47 (10.6%) 442 491 KY 144 (17.0%) 83 (9.8%) 849 841 LA 136 (15.4%) 93 (10.5%) 883 781 ME 22 (11.8%) 23 (12.3%) 187 169 MD 83 (12.4%) 57 (8.5%) 671 608 MA 48 (10.8%) 43 (9.7%) 444 417 MI 216 (14.1%) 151 (9.9%) 1,530 1,505 MN 74 (12.4%) 74 (12.4%) 597 576 MS 82 (11.9%) 71 (10.4%) 686 811 MO 175 (15.8%) 108 (9.7%) 1,109 1,149 MT 29 (13.5%) 14 (6.5%) 215 200 NE 43 (16.9%) 27 (10.6%) 254 293 NV 36 (11.5%) 22 (7.0%) 313 348 NH 12 (10.2%) 11 (9.3%) 118 134 NJ 89 (11.5%) 68 (8.8%) 773 818 NM 83 (17.1%) 44 (9.1%) 485 481 NY 203 (12.1%) 157 (9.4%) 1,674 1,564 NC 206 (14.2%) 148 (10.2%) 1,448 1,493 ND 15 (20.3%) 13 (17.6%) 74 85 OH 229 (16.8%) 139 (10.2%) 1,366 1,395 OK 101 (15.1%) 63 (9.4%) 669 772 OR 85 (14.9%) 47 (8.2%) 572 524 PA 197 (13.3%) 149 (10.1%) 1,480 1,469 RI 10 (14.5%) 4 (5.8%) 69 69 SC 100 (11.4%) 109 (12.4%) 881 930 SD 11 (7.0%) 18 (11.4%) 158 175 TN 194 (15.4%) 135 (10.7%) 1,259 1,239 TX 420 (13.2%) 328 (10.3%) 3,181 3,741 UT 58 (17.8%) 31 (9.5%) 326 321 VT 18 (17.0%) 15 (14.2%) 106 88 VA 141 (15.7%) 97 (10.8%) 900 875 WA 90 (13.8%) 57 (8.7%) 653 712 WV 52 (13.8%) 51 (13.6%) 376 345 WI 105 (14.1%) 76 (10.2%) 745 761 WY 31 (18.2%) 21 (12.4%) 170 143 USA 5,685 (13.6%) 4,263 (10.2%) 41,798 41,907 1996 Total Fatalities 41,907 Drivers Age 15-20 6,319 (15.1%) Drivers Age 16-20 5,791 (13.8%) Drivers Age 21-24 4,112 (9.8%) (A) 1995 Data SOURCE AAA Mid-Altantic