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SALT LAKE CITY -- As UEA weekend gets underway, a lot of teenagers are out on the roads. A new study by AAA study shows that when teens drive with their friends in the car, risky behavior increases.
The study confirms what we would expect: teens driving teens leads to bad judgment behind the wheel. But it also shows that Utah, and other states, have taken the right steps to help reduce the risk.
Jason Chen and Blythe Rickman - both seniors in high school -- got their driver licenses about a year ago. They know more passengers lead to more distractions, but they're not convinced it only affects teens.
- Teenage drivers are involved in more crashes per mile than drivers of any other age group.
- Drivers aged 16 and 17 are involved in about seven times as many crashes per mile driven compared to drivers in their forties, fifties, or sixties.
- Teenage drivers are overrepresented in crashes that result in the death of other people, such as passengers, pedestrians, or occupants of other vehicles.
"It's the same when you have a bunch of adults or anyone who is excited piled in," Chen said.
Rickman argues he tries to be more careful when he has passengers.
"Three or four people in my car, then it's a little more distracting," he said. "But most of the time when I have someone else besides myself, I actually try to drive safer. Because if something happens, then I'm hurting them and not just myself."
Car crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers. The AAA study shows speeding was a factor in 30 percent of fatal crashes involving teen drivers.
Add two teen passengers, and the number rises to 44 percent. With three or more teen passengers, speeding was a factor in 48 percent of fatal teen crashes. Alcohol use and driving after midnight also rose with more teen passengers.
The Utah graduated license does not allow teens to drive other teens for the first six months unless an adult is in the car. The objective is to give teens more experience before they have peers in the car.
"I'm sure some parents totally enforce it, but I know that others don't really care," said Rickman.
But it works. Since Utah adopted the graduated license and a nighttime driving restriction, AAA reports teen fatalities have dropped 60 percent.
"If that's true," said Chen, "then I definitely would support keeping it. But that does surprise me."
According to AAA, this study also helps parents understand just how important it is to monitor the driving of their teens. The agency hopes to work with the Legislature to even further tighten up the graduated licensing.
