The Most Dangerous US States For Teen Drivers

Although teens are at greater risk of injury or death in(including prescription and over-the-counter drugs)
motor vehicle collisions than nearly every other ageTeens also often neglect to wear their seat belts,
group no matter what part of the country they're in,increasing the risk of serious injury or death in a crash.
where teens live can also have an impact on their risk,An observational study by the Utah Department of
according to separate studies conducted by AllstateHealth found that the teen seat belt use rate falls
Insurance Company and Reader's Digest. Motorwhen other high-risk factors are present, such as
vehicle crashes are the number one killer of Americanwhen teens drive under the influence of alcohol, drive
teens, and each year, according to the Nationalat night, have multiple teen passengers, or are driving
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), morewithout a driver's license.
than 5,000 people aged 16-20 are killed in passengerThe risk factors listed above, including seat belt
vehicle crashes.requirements, are addressed by GDL laws in many
The Allstate study used federal crash statistics,states. GDL laws set standards that underage drivers
company claims data on teen motor vehicle crashes,must meet before proceeding from one stage of
and statistics from the US Census Bureau to list thelicensure to the next. In the 1980s, 90% of high schools
ten most dangerous cities from the 50 largesttaught driver's education; in 2009, only 20% do. This
metropolitan areas in the United States. The resultsmeans that teens get the majority of their driver
revealed that the most risky cities for teens areeducation from their parents and are subject only to
located in the South, with the top three in Florida. Ofstate requirements when becoming licensed, making
the top 50 cities in the country for teen fatalityGDL laws of ever-increasing importance in lowering
crashes, Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Orlandoteen crash rates.
Kissimmee, and Jacksonville rank number one, two andWhile a national model for GDL laws has existed since
three, respectively.the mid-1990s, no state follows all of the requirements.
The Reader's Digest study uses a differentTo show the disparities among states, The National
classification method, ranking all 50 states based onSafety Commission (TNSC) analyzed the GDL laws in
existing Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL), safety belt,four states: California, Florida, Mississippi, and North
and Driving Under the Influence (DUI) laws. The reportDakota. The study showed that:
listed Alaska, California and Delaware as the top three,- In California, the minimum age for a learner's permit is
and North Dakota, Mississippi and Arkansas as three15 years, six months; in Florida and Mississippi, the
of the worst. Florida is categorized as "Fair," theminimum age is 15. The minimum age in North Dakota
next-to-lowest ranking. Interestingly, California cities alsois 14.
scored high in the Allstate study: Numbers one, two- While California and Florida each require 50 hours of
and four were San Francisco/Oakland, San Jose, andpractice driving with a parent or guardian in the
Los Angeles.learner's permit stage, 10 hours of which must be at
Factors that contribute to teen motor vehicle crashesnight, neither Mississippi nor North Dakota require
include:parental certification of any driving practice hours.
- Speeding/driving too fast for conditions- North Dakota does not have any passenger or
- Driver distraction, including cell phone use and dealingnighttime restrictions, and Florida and Mississippi have
with passengersonly nighttime restrictions. California's passenger
- Inexperiencerestriction is that for the first 12 months, the restricted
- Driving at nightdriver may have no passengers younger than 20, with
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugslimited exceptions for immediate family.