Teen and Young Driver Safety

​​​​​Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for teens. Teen drivers have a disproportionately high rate of fatal crashes​, mainly because of their lack of skills and experience.

​What tend to be the riskiest behaviors? Speeding, distracted and drowsy driving, and not buckling up​.​

​Teens are far more prone to make mistakes than experienced drivers, however there are strategies for improving the safety of novice drivers through policy changes and raising awareness of safe driving behaviors.

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1. Avoid Distracted Driving​

Teens can be distracted by texting, talking on the phone, and having too many passengers in the car. According to research from ​the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  NHTSA, dialing a phone while driving increases a teen's risk of crashing by six times. Texting while drivin​​g increases the risk by 23 times. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, between 2007 and 2015, an average of 59% of crashes involved some type of potentially distracting behavior during the six​ seconds leading up to a crash. The most frequent potentially distracting behaviors were conversation and interaction with passengers and cell phone use.

2. Do not Use Alcohol or Other Drugs​

​Consuming alcohol or other impairing drugs is illegal for teens, and driving under the influence of any impairing substance, such as illicit, over-the-counter, and prescription drugs, could have deadly consequences. Teens are more likely than anyone else to be killed in an alcohol-related crash. According to NHTSA, in 2022, 30% of young drivers, age 15 to 20 years old, who were killed in crashes had BACs of .01 g/dL or higher.

According to several studies by the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA), drivers with THC in their blood were roughly twice as likely to be responsible for a deadly crash or be killed than drivers who hadn't used drugs or alcohol. The impairing effects of marijuana can seem subtle, but actually have significant impairing effect. Remember marijuana use impairs motor coordination, judgment, and reaction time. Driving high is just as dangerous as driving drunk. The repercussions are the same. You can get a DUI and you are at risk of being involved in a crash.

To parents of teen drivers: Be a positive role model and educate your children on the risks of marijuana-impaired driving. Remind your teen that driving while impaired is illegal. Some states have a zero-tolerance policy not just for impairment, but for any recent marijuana use before driving. Read the Safety Alert to learn more.

3. Avoid Speeding

Follow the posted speed limits. According to NHTSA, in 2022, speed was a factor in 30% of fatal crashes that involved passenger vehicle teen drivers (15-18 years old). A study by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) also found that from 2000-2011, teens were involved in 19,447 speeding-related crashes.​

4. Get Enough Sleep Before Driving

​Drowsy driving is a common risk for teen drivers. Teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep for optimal health and safety. According to NHTSA, drivers age 17-23 years old are at a higher risk for a crash caused by drowsy driving. In 2022, 20% of teen fatal crashes occurred between 9 pm and 12 am, and 51% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

If you feel tired while driving, stop the car and take a nap or switch drivers. Choose a safe location to rest.

5. Buckle Up

​It seems like an obvious recommendation these days when seat belt laws are required for drivers in all states (except New Hampshire); however, this is not always done—and teens are needlessly dying or getting injured. A matter of fact, teen drivers have the lowest seat belt use rate. According to NHTSA​, in 2022, 50% of teen drivers who died in crashes were unbuckled.. Additionally, passengers in the back should be encouraged to wear their seat belts. When the teen driver involved in a fatal crash was unbuckled, nine out of 10 of the passengers who died were also unbuckled. Teen drivers must set a positive example by wearing their seat belt every drive, every time, and encourage their peers to do the same.

​Watch the State of Teen Driver Safety Roundtable Discussion

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GDL laws allow teen drivers to gain driving expe​rience safely in an environment that limits the potential for risk. The NTSB continues to call for states to improve their GDL programs by directly addressing the following provisions. States should add passenger restrictions, nighttime driving restrictions, cell phone restrictions, and provisions addressing min​imum driving practice and minimum holding periods..

The NTSB Advocates a Three Phase Graduated Driver License Law with the following Provisions:

Phase 1: Learner’s permit

• 6-month minimum holding period (without an at-fault driver or traffic violation)
• Supervised driver requirement with supervising driver age 21 or older
• Seat belts used by all occupants in all seating positions
• Driving with a measurable blood alcohol level prohibited
• Cell phone use prohibited while driving

Phase 2: Intermediate (provisional) license

• 6-month minimum holding period (without an at-fault crash or traffic violation)
• Nighttime driving restriction
  
• Teen passenger restriction (zero or 1 passenger)
• Seat belts used by all occupants in all seating positions
• Driving with a measurable blood alcohol level prohibited
• Cell phone use prohibited while driving

Phase 3: Full licensure

• ​Seat belts used by all occupants in all seating positions
• Driving with a measurable blood alcohol level by all drivers under age 21 prohibited
• Cell phone use prohibited while driving​​

​Recent research studies suggest collision-avoidance features and teen-specific vehicle technologies have the potential to prevent or mitigate up to 75% of fatal crashes involving teen drivers. The NTSB hosted a webinar on collision-avoidance technology and teen driver safety to discuss the role of vehicle technology—specifically, collision avoidance technologies (such as AEB and collision warning) in reducing teen traffic crashes and fatalities. 

Watch the NTSB Webinar

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​​​​Open Recommendations that represent critical safety priorities

H-24-12 to the Oklahoma State Department of Education: Develop a drug and alcohol abuse prevention curriculum framework with content that covers the risks of impaired driving—including cannabis-impaired driving—and disseminate this curriculum framework to local school boards in a format that can be taught in elementary through high school classrooms. 

H-24-13 to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office: Incorporate information on the risks of cannabis-impaired driving into the Oklahoma Challenge and clarify t​hat driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal. 

H-24-14 to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety: Update your Oklahoma Driver Manual to reflect Oklahoma’s zero tolerance law and to indicate that, although the state has legalized cannabis for some medical purposes, it impairs driving performance, and it is illegal for anyone to drive with any detectable level of cannabis in their system. 

H-24-15 to the Governors Highway Safety Assoication and the National Conference of State Legislatures: Inform your members about the Tishomingo, Oklahoma, crash and about the need for information in driving curricula for future and novice drivers to understand the risks of and to avoid cannabis-impaired driving. 

H-24-16 to the National Association of State Boards of Education : Inform your members about the Tishomingo, Oklahoma, crash and about the need for information in school curricula for future and novice drivers to understand the risks of and to avoid cannabis-impaired driving. 

H-24-17 to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators: Update your Model Driver’s License Manual to reflect that, although cannabis may be legal for medical purposes or recreational use in some states, it impairs driving performance, and it is illegal to drive while under the influence of cannabis. 

H-24-18 to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators: Inform your members about the Tishomingo, Oklahoma, crash and about the need for information in driver manuals on the risks of and the need to avoid cannabis-impaired driving. 

​​H-22-39 to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico: Complete an assessment using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Drug-Impaired Driving Criminal Justice Evaluation Tool, and, if gaps are identified, apply to NHTSA for support in establishing programs to reduce drug-impaired driving. 

H-22-42 to the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the States of Alabama,Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois,, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia​: Require a warning label on cannabis products advising users not to drive after cannabis use due to its impairing effects. ​​​​

H-02-30 to the Governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Colordao, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico​, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and the Mayor of the District of Columbia: Restrict young, novice drivers with provisional (intermediate) licenses, unless accompanied by a supervising adult driver who is at least 21 years old, from carrying more than one passenger under the age of 20 until they receive an unrestricted license or for at least 6 months (whichever is longer). 

H-02-32 to the Governors of Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming: Enact laws to provide for a three-stage graduated licensing system for young novice drivers, and restrict young novice drivers with provisional or intermediate licenses (second stage), unless accompanied by a supervising adult driver who is at least 21 years old, from carrying more than one passenger under the age of 20 until they receive an unrestricted license or for at least 6 months (whichever is longer). (H-02-031 and H-02-032 supersede H-93-008 for the following 14 states: Kentucky, Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming).