For
teen and experienced drivers alike. Information about texting and
driving, cell phone use, car crash physics, Rules of the Road, and more,
is available thanks to WN's Driver's Education staff.
NEW LAW EFFECTS PASSENGERS AND DRIVERS
*Starting January 1, 2012 all passengers in a vehicle front and back seat of a vehicle must be wearing a seat belt.
*Motorists are banned from using cell phones in school or construction zones.This is a moving violation with a fine of up to $1,000.
TEEN DRIVER FACTS
DEATHS – Each year 5,000 16-to-19-year-olds die to fatal injuries caused by car accidents.About 400,000 are seriously injured.
RISKS - For each mile driven,16-to-19-year-olds are four times more likely to get into car crashes than other drivers. This is due to lack of experience.
STATS –Teenagers are 10% of the U.S. population but account for 12% of all fatal crashes.
COSTS – Drivers (both male and female) under 24 account for 30% - 26 Billion dollars for costs of all car crashes.
MALE VERSUS FEMALE DRIVERS
– The car accident death rate for teen male drivers and passengers is
more than one and a half times female drivers (19.4 killed per 100,000
male drivers compared to 11.1 killed per 100,000 female drivers).
DID YOU KNOW?*Starting January 1, 2012 all passengers (regardless of age) in the back seat of a vehicle must be wearing their seat belt.
* Only 47% of teen passengers wear seat belts when another teen is driving, compared to 84% of the overall population.
*An estimated 20% of 1,517,000 injury crashes were reported to have involved distracted driving in 2009.
*The under-20 age group had the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes (16%).The
age group with the next greatest proportion of distracted drivers was
the 20-to-29 year old drivers in fatal crashes were reported as
distraction-related.
*Of the drivers reportedly
distracted during a fatal crash, the 30-to-39 year old drivers were the
greatest proportion distracted by cell phones.Cell phone use was reported for 24% of the 30-to-39 year old distracted drivers in fatal crashes.
By the Numbers1– Rank of traffic crashes as a cause of death for 16-19-year-olds.
25%- Percentage of all 15-20 year old drivers killed in crashes that were alcohol-impaired.
73%- Percentage of youth alcohol-impaired fatalities who were not wearing seat belts.
27,052– Estimated lives saved since 1975 as result of raising the drinking age to 21.
350,000–Annual injuries from crashes for 15-19-year-olds.
-source: 2008 data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Highway Safety Administration
Back-Up Cameras
On
average, 292 deaths and 18,000 injuries occur yearly as a result of
back-over-crashes. The traffic safety agency estimates children are
killed in 44% of these accidents. The federal government wants
automakers to install back-up cameras in all
new vehicles starting in 2014. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration estimates the cost at $58 - $200, according to the
Bloomberg News.
Teen Drivers Insurance Rates
Did
you know that most insurance companies will award discounted rates for
students with at least a “B” average and earning an “A or B” in the
Wheaton North Driver Education program. You can also lower the teen
driver's rates by putting the student on the parents' policy, and/or
installing a computer tracking device that monitors the teens driving
habits by measuring speed and distance traveled.
