Nissan Supports Driving Safety Programs

Special Reprint Edition
As seen in USA TODAY, March 1, 2005

Special report: The hazards of teen driving

Deadly teen auto
crashes show a pattern
The most dangerous drivers: 16-year-olds. And most
deadly single-vehicle teen crashes involve night driv-
ing or at least one passenger age 16 to 19.
By Jayne O'donnell the deadly crashes involving 16-
USA TODAY to-19-year-old drivers in 2003.
About 3,500 teenagers died in
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — It was a teen-driven vehicles in the USA
double date like countless others: that year — a death toll that tops
Two teenage girls and their that of any disease or injury for
teenage boyfriends, with plans to teens. The South proved to be the
see a movie on a summer night. deadliest region.

But this one ended in grief. More than two-thirds of fatal
Sixteen-year-old Gerald Miller single-vehicle teen crashes
swerved his sport-utility vehicle involved nighttime driving or at
to miss a car stalled on Interstate least one passenger age 16 to 19.
95. The SUV, traveling about 78 Nearly three-fourths of the driv-
mph, rolled five times. The boys ers in those crashes were male.
were injured. The girls — Casey And 16-year-old drivers were the
Hersch, 16, and Lauren Gorham, riskiest of all. Their rate of
15 — were thrown from the SUV involvement in fatal crashes was
and died. nearly five times that of drivers
ages 20 and older, according to the
To many who knew the victims, Insurance Institute for Highway
the crash seemed like a cruel act Safety.
of fate, a freak tragedy beyond
anyone's control. But it fit a com- Teen brains not developed
mon formula for teen deaths on
the USA's roadways: Put a 16- New medical research helps
year-old boy at the wheel of an explain why. The part of the brain
SUV. Add two or three teens, that weighs risks and controls
including at least one other boy. impulsive behavior isn't fully
Send them out at night. Finally, let developed until about age 25,
Crash victims: Casey Hersch,
them travel fast — and unbelted. according to the National
top, and Lauren Gorham died
in the crash in 2003.
Institutes of Health. Some state
Those common factors emerged legislators and safety activists
when USA TODAY examined all question whether 16-year-olds

© Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co., Inc.

16-year-old drivers have highest fatal crash rate Traffic crashes leading cause of teen deaths
Teen drivers, especially 16-year-olds, have significantly higher rates of involvement Leading causes of death for 16-to-19-year-olds in 2002 as a
in fatal crashes than older drivers. Fatal crash involvements per 100 million miles percentage of all deaths:
traveled, by driver age:
41%
16 9.3
17 8.3
18 6.5
19 7.2
20-24 4.3 14%
11%
25-29 2.3 5% 3%
30-59 1.6
60-69 1.6 Motor vehicle Homicide Suicide Malignant Heart
70 and older 4.1 crashes tumors disease
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Based on crashes April 2001-March 2002. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Errors are more common in teen-driver crashes
Teen drivers in fatal crashes are more likely than older drivers to make driving errors such as speeding or running off the road. They are also more likely to roll their
vehicles, to be carrying two or more passengers and to have single-vehicle crashes.

Percentage of 2003 fatal crashes1 among each age group that involved: Driver age: 16 17 18 19 20 and older
60%

40%

20%

0
Excessive speed Running off the road Rollover Vehicle with two or more Single vehicle
1 – Single crash can include more than one factor passengers of any age
Sources: USA TODAY analysis by Barbara Hansen of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System data; Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. By Julie Snider, USA TODAY

should be licensed to drive. On an average day in the USA, 10 Runge acknowledges that safety
teenagers are killed in teen-driven advocates have failed to adequately
Sixteen-year-olds are far worse vehicles. Some days are far worse. publicize what's known about why
drivers than 17-, 18- or 19-year-olds, Crashes that occurred on one of the teens die in crashes. State laws often
statistics show. Tellingly, New Jersey, deadliest days of 2003 — Nov. 1 — don't restrict behavior that's linked
which has long barred 16-year-olds killed 26 teens. to many teen fatalities.
from having unrestricted driver's
licenses, for years has had one of the The death toll could swell in com- Nearly all states have some form of
lowest teen fatality rates in the USA. ing years. A record 17.5 million teens "graduated licensing" programs that
will be eligible to drive once the limit driving privileges for new
Other jurisdictions, too, have peak of the "baby boomlet" hits teenage drivers. In some states, the
found the only sure way to cut the driving age by the end of this decade rules restrict whom teens can trans-
teen death toll is to limit unsuper- — 1.3 million more than were eligi- port and when they can drive. Teen
vised driving by 16-year-olds. Seven ble in 2000. fatalities have declined in states with
states and the District of Columbia the programs, according to a new
don't give unrestricted licenses to Horrific as teenage deaths are, the report by the insurance institute.
anyone under 18. In Britain and collective response from their fami-
Germany, teens can't drive until ages lies is often one of grim acceptance. But the institute and other safety
17 and 18, respectively. Jeffrey Runge, a former emergency experts note that despite those pro-
room doctor who's now head of the grams, thousands of teens are still
Rules that restrict driving at 16 National Highway Traffic Safety being killed on the roads. The rea-
have clearly had a positive effect, the Administration, shudders to recall son, they say: Graduated licensing
insurance institute says. As the pro- how some parents reacted to hear- rules are poorly enforced and often
portion of 16-year-olds in the USA ing their teens had just died in a riddled with loopholes.
with driver's licenses has declined crash.
from a decade ago, so has the pro- When risks rise
portion of 16-year-olds involved in "It was amazing how many people
fatal crashes. But the rate among would say, 'I guess it was just his A review of crash statistics finds
those who are licensed has shown time,' " Runge says. clear patterns. The risk to teen lives
no improvement. rises when:


u A 16-year-old is at the wheel. Jennifer McElmurray, of Evans, Ga., cle to drive his girlfriend home
Along with their higher rate of who turned 16 in February 2003, before midnight. "Those things are
involvement in fatal crashes, 16- was driving that June when she lost kind of top-heavy, and it doesn't take
year-olds make driving errors, control of her car and hit a stand of a whole lot of correcting to roll
exceed speed limits, run off roads trees. Her car was engulfed in them," Rider says. "I think it's wrong
and roll their vehicles over at higher flames. McElmurray survived the for people to let kids drive (SUVs)."
rates than do older drivers involved crash, but her two male passengers,
in fatal crashes. ages 16 and 17, died. The nighttime u They drive in more dangerous
curfew for new drivers was mid- regions. Eight of the 10 states with
"They're the youngest, so they are night; the sheriff was called to the the highest teen-driver fatal crash-
all inexperienced at that age," says scene at 11:56 p.m. involvement rates are in the South.
Allan Williams, the institute's former Highway safety officials from
chief scientist. "They're pushing the u The young driver loses control. Southern states, including Alabama,
limits, trying out new things . . . and Driver error is involved in 77% of Louisiana and Mississippi, say lax
they don't really have the controls fatal crashes involving 16-year-old enforcement of speeding or alcohol
over risk-taking in terms of judg- drivers but in less than 60% of crash- laws and many rural, tree-lined
ment and decision-making." es with drivers 20 and older. roads that provide little margin for
error make their states deadlier for
uThey're riding with other teens. About a third of all 16-year-old young drivers.
Forty percent of 16-year-old drivers drivers and a quarter of 17-to-19-
involved in deadly single-vehicle year-old drivers involved in fatal Kim Proctor, Mississippi's highway
crashes in 2003 had one or more teen crashes rolled their vehicles. safety chief, blames weak seat-belt
passengers. Teens' risk of dying near- Rollovers often occur when a driver laws in her state, Florida and
ly doubles with the addition of one overcorrects and runs off the road. Kentucky and difficulty in getting
male passenger, the insurance insti- Inexperienced teens are most likely many pickup drivers and minorities
tute says. It more than doubles with to do so. to buckle up.
two or more young men in the car.
On a July night in 2003, Jessie Bell, Parents have no idea
Jackie Swanson, 18, had two pas- 16, was following a car driven by her
sengers — her 16-year-old cousin, boyfriend on a Missouri highway Kathy Schaefer, the mother of
Thomas, and a 17-year-old friend, with a 65-mph speed limit when she Florida crash victim Casey Hersch,
James Newton — and was driving lost control. The vehicle rolled into a and Melissa Herberz, Lauren
about 90 mph when she lost control ditch, and she died. Gorham's mother, had no idea of the
of a Firebird convertible in a 2003 odds their daughters were facing the
Louisiana crash. Swanson struck u They're in an unsuitable vehicle. July night they were killed.
another car, scaled a guardrail and Because they're in the age group
went airborne across several lanes of most likely to be involved in a crash, "I was a very controlling parent,"
traffic. The three unbelted teens teens should occupy vehicles least Schaefer says. "But I never thought
were ejected and killed. likely to roll and most protective my child would be killed in a car."
when they crash, highway safety
Thomas Swanson, Thomas' father experts say. Yet, teens often wind up To this day, Schaefer frequently
and Jackie's uncle, says the loss in small cars, which are especially stays in her bedroom all day, mourn-
forced him to relapse temporarily vulnerable when hit by larger vehi- ing the loss of her only child.
into cocaine addiction. "I was trying cles, or in SUVs, which are more
to bury the deaths with the drugs," prone to roll over. The mothers didn't know that the
Swanson says. vehicle their daughters were in at
Two years ago, Runge caused a stir the time — a Ford Explorer Sport
u They're in teen-driven cars after when he noted he would never let Trac SUV with a pickup bed — had
dark. Teen drivers are three times as his inexperienced teens drive a vehi- earned a low two-star government
likely as drivers 20 and older to be cle with a two-star (out of five) rollover rating. Nor did they recog-
involved in fatal crashes between 9 rollover rating from the safety nize the risk the girls faced with a
p.m. and 6 a.m., the institute says, administration. Only SUVs and pick- 16-year-old boy driving several pas-
and 16-year-olds die at night at ups score that low in the ratings. sengers. Male teen drivers are about
twice the rate as in the daytime. It's 75% more likely than female teen
harder to see at night, so it's harder Terry Khristian Rider, 16, died after drivers to be involved in fatal crash-
to react quickly to obstacles. he was partly ejected from the GMC es, the insurance institute says.
Inexperienced drivers are more vul- SUV he was driving in a 2003 crash
nerable to making errors after dark. in Orangeburg, S.C. His uncle, John Florida had the fourth-worst teen
Rider, says Terry borrowed the vehi- fatal-crash rate in 2003. It isn't


among the 28 states that restrict Pines. Alabama lets 16-year-olds says Champagne, the Louisiana gov-
how many passengers 16-year-old- drive after midnight if they're ernor's highway safety director.
drivers can have, and it's one of 30 returning from a hunting or fishing
states that forbid police to stop driv- trip and have their parents' consent. Those who advocate graduated
ers solely for not wearing safety The state also lets 16-year-olds have licensing say the laws assume par-
belts; none of the teens was belted. up to three teen passengers, in addi- ents will enforce them. But inter-
tion to family members. views with safety officials and crash
Florida does have an 11 p.m. driv- reports suggest parents often let
ing curfew for 16- and 17-year-old There are also regional disparities teens skirt the laws, don't know the
drivers. The crash occurred just in how alcohol and speeding prohi- rules or aren't aware their kids are
after 9 p.m. bitions are treated. In Mississippi, driving. The parents of at least two
where fatalities often occur on tree- teens killed in 2003 car crashes
Highway safety officials around lined roads, only one county thought their kids were washing,
the USA complain that many state authorizes sheriffs to use radar not driving, the car.
legislators, pressured by parents, guns. Speeding laws are seldom
have refused to tighten laws to bar enforced on those roads, Proctor "We don't have police officers on
teens from driving at night or from says. every corner," Champagne says.
having teen passengers, despite "Too many parents expect the
clear evidence those factors sharply Some states will license even police to be the parent."
raise the risk of teen deaths. teens who got speeding tickets
while driving with a learner's Hard to move forward
Safety officials note that of the 38 permit.
states with nighttime driving Gayle Bell was doing everything
restrictions, more than half don't James Champagne, chairman of that seemed appropriate for a par-
start those restrictions until at least the national Governors Highway ent when Jessie died in her crash.
midnight — when, they say, most Safety Association, laments what he But she no longer thinks 16-year-
younger teens are not out. calls a casual attitude toward alco- olds are old enough to drive. Jessie
hol abuse in his home state of was ejected from her Chevrolet
"There's so much research that Louisiana. Yet Champagne, a former Cavalier coupe in El Dorado Springs,
has shown (graduated licensing) state police lieutenant colonel, Mo. Bell says the grieving "melts
makes a huge difference that we notes it isn't easy to enforce gradu- your body down."
have been trying almost desperate- ated licensing. "Police will look at it
ly to get (our law) upgraded," says as a priority depending on what Jessie got her license in March
Alabama traffic safety chief Rhonda importance the public puts on it," 2003 and her car three months

Common factors
One deadly day: anatomy of an accident In the 24 fatal crashes involving teens on
Denver
N
0 2
A frequent cause of crashes among the teen drivers on Nov. 1, 2003, one of Nov. 1, 2003:
the deadliest days for teens that year, was loss of control after overcorrecting. 22 involved one vehicle Miles
Here’s how a fatal crash involving driver Eric Nguyen, 16, and three teen 17 involved male teen drivers
passengers in a 1999 Honda Accord unfolded on westbound E-470 in Douglas 25
15 involved non-use of seat belts by teens
88
County, Colo., just after 9 p.m. It was Nguyen’s first unsupervised drive after 14 involved teen drivers with passengers Site of
accident
getting his license. 10 involved alcohol use by teens
9 involved speeding by teens 470 E-470
1 Nguyen swerves right after missing exit
for Interstate 25; car slides clockwise.
Westbound E-470

Nguyen corrects to
2 the left; car slides 4 Car slides through
small post
counterclockwise.

Asphalt/ Dirt median
concrete

5 Driver’s door strikes guardrail. Rail
Ramp to Interstate 25 pushes the door through the passen-
ger compartment, and Nguyen (who
3 Nguyen corrects to the right; is wearing seat belt) is partially eject-
car slides clockwise and goes
Source: Colorado State Patrol
off left side of exit ramp. ed and dies. Other passengers injured.
Nov. 1, 2003: Fatalities and time of day
Most of the fatal crashes involving teens took place after dark — before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m. One fatal accident
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
a.m. p.m.

Source: USA TODAY analysis by Anthony DeBarros By Adrienne Lewis, USA TODAY


later. She was driving the next ranges," Zuckerman says. Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh's slow but
month, at night, when she crashed. lovable donkey sidekick. Her
James Avello, 18, Hersch's former daughter's volleyball coach gave
"Really, the only way to get the boyfriend, who recovered from her that name during a lackluster
experience is to go out and drive," injuries he suffered in the crash, performance, and it stuck.
Bell says. "If I had to swerve, I says the loss of their friends has
would know how to do it. Jessie had little effect on the driving of his After the crash, Casey Hersch's
really didn't." classmates at Chaminade-Madonna mother and stepfather moved out
College Preparatory School. Avello of the family home to try to escape
Marvin Zuckerman, a psycholo- sold his SUV in favor of a less their anguish. The family still owns
gist and former professor at the rollover-prone Mazda Millenia the home, now unoccupied.
University of Delaware, for years sedan. But many teens, he says, Casey's bedroom, filled with
has studied another reason, drive their own, often-sporty, cars Eeyores, remains untouched.
beyond inexperience and immatu- to school on major highways. Schaefer still runs the girl's volley-
rity, why teens tend to be ball team concession and goes to
risky drivers. He calls it "sensation Gerald Miller, 18, the driver in the school soccer games. Those are
seeking." crash, transferred to another high about the only commitments in life
school after enduring death threats that she keeps.
In driving terms, it's a desire to from classmates who blamed him
derive a thrill from the experience. for the deaths, says his mother, "A mother's life is all about being
Zuckerman doesn't think full Geralyn. She says her son needed devoted to her child," says Schaefer,
licenses should be awarded until intensive therapy. who chose laughter as her cell-
age 21. His research has found that phone ring tone because she so sel-
the desire to take risks and act On the 8th of every month, dom hears it anymore. "One crazy
impulsively peaks around age 19 or Schaefer visits the spot on I-95 night took everything away."
20. "It's no coincidence the peak where her daughter was killed on
accident rates are in those age July 8, 2003. It's marked with an

DISCUSSION
According to the USA TODAY analysis of deadly car crashes involving teen APPLICATIONS
drivers, what is a common formula for teen deaths on the nation’s road-
t cooperative learning
ways? Based on new medical research, why are younger drivers nearly t decision making
five times more likely to be involved in fatal accidents? What effect have t evaluation
rules that restrict driving at age 16 had? What conditions are the riskiest t responsibility
for teen drivers? How could these dangers be reduced? After reviewing t safety
the facts and statistics in the article, would it make sense for states to raise
their legal driving age to 17 or 18? (Answer objectively, not from your
point of view as an adolescent.)

ACTIVITY
In small groups, imagine that your state legislature has asked you to decide what criteria students must meet
before receiving a license. For example, should driving be restricted to students who maintain B averages or
above? In short, how can teens demonstrate that they will be mature, capable, responsible drivers? Explain each
of your requirements in writing. As you draft your proposal, keep in mind that driving is a privilege, not a right.


Nissan Supports Driving Safety Programs

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