More than 5,000 U.S. teens die each year in car crashes. The rate of crashes, fatal and nonfatal, per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Safety Administration. Many industrialized countries in Europe and elsewhere have a driving age of 17 or 18. (Lund 1)
Many states have begun to raise the age by imposing restrictions on 16-year-old drivers. (Lund 1)
It is also noted that on average, two people die every day across the USA in vehicles driven by 16-year-old drivers. One in five 16-year-olds will have a reportable car crash within the first year. In 2003, there were 937 drivers age 16 who were involved in fatal crashes. In those wrecks, 411 of the 16-year-old drivers died and 352 of their passengers were killed. Sixteen-year-old drivers are involved in fatal crashes at a rate nearly five times the rate of drivers 20 or older. (Davis 1)
I believe one of the most valuable tools parents can utilize with their teen drivers is the development of a Parent-Teen Driving Contract. (Pride 1) It is better to be given the ability to perform a potentially dangerous task in a time when one is more likely to be in a nurturing