Many teenage drivers across New Jersey and the United States enjoy having teen passengers along for the ride once they get their driver’s licenses. However, studies show that teenage passengers pose a serious threat to the teen driver, others in the vehicle and everyone else on the roadway.
Per TeenDriverSource.org, teenage passengers are a common distraction for teen drivers.
How teen drivers impact safety
Research shows that while teen passengers always pose a threat to teen drivers, the threat compounds with each additional teen passenger who is along for the ride. While having one teen passenger present doubles the risk of a teen driver getting into a car crash, having two or more passengers tripes the threat of an accident.
Also, in 2020, 56% of all teenage passenger deaths resulted from incidents where another teenager was driving. In terms of passenger deaths involving passengers of all ages, 15% resulted from incidents involving teenage drivers.
How parents might help reduce risks
Parents of new drivers may want to make their teens aware of the dangers teen passengers pose. They may also want to set restrictions with regard to who their teens may have present in their vehicles and when. It may also prove beneficial for parents to remind their teens about how to be a good passenger, reminding them to not distract the driver, keep the music at a reasonable volume and so on.
While teen passengers increase crash risks for teen motorists, so, too, do other actions, such as speeding, driving under the influence or driving while distracted.