Reducing Risk for Teen Drivers

Key points

  • Teens are at an increased risk for injury or death from a crash.
  • The strategies in this section are effective for reducing or preventing teen driver crashes, injuries, and/or deaths.
  • This information can help decision makers and community partners see gaps and identify the most effective strategies to reduce or prevent teen driver crashes, injuries, and deaths.

Prevention strategies

Seat belts save lives

At least half of teen drivers and passengers ages 16–19 years who were killed in passenger vehicle crashes in 2020 were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.1 Research indicates that seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about half.2

Primary enforcement of seat belt laws

States vary in their enforcement of seat belt laws. A primary enforcement seat belt law allows police officers to ticket drivers or passengers for not wearing a seat belt, even if this is the only violation that has occurred. A secondary enforcement seat belt law allows police officers to ticket drivers or passengers for not wearing a seat belt only if they have pulled over the driver for another reason. Some states have secondary enforcement seat belt laws for adults but have primary enforcement seat belt laws for young drivers.

Seat belt use among all age groups is consistently higher in states with primary enforcement seat belt laws than in states with secondary enforcement seat belt laws.345 Visit the seat belt and child seat laws by state page on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's website for up-to-date information on seat belt laws by state, including the type of enforcement, who is covered, and which seating positions are covered.6 You can also use CDC's Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States (MV PICCS) to learn about how many lives could be saved, injuries prevented, and costs averted if your state were to implement a primary enforcement seat belt law.7

Not drinking and driving prevents crashes

Maintaining and enforcing minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws and zero tolerance laws for drivers under age 21 is recommended to help prevent drinking and driving among young drivers.8910

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems reduce crash injuries and deaths

Driving is a complex skill and must be practiced to do it well. Teenagers have a higher risk for crashes because they lack driving experience and because they often engage in risk-taking behaviors. The need for skill-building and driving supervision for new drivers is the basis for graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems.

GDL systems enable new drivers to progressively gain driving experience and driving skills under lower risk conditions. The three stages of GDL include the following:

  • Stage 1: Learner's permit
  • Stage 2: Intermediate/provisional license
  • Stage 3: Full licensure

GDL systems exist in all U.S. states and the District of Columbia (D.C.), but the strength of GDL laws varies by state. GDL systems provide longer practice periods, limit driving under high-risk conditions for newly licensed drivers, and require greater participation from parents as their teens learn to drive. Research has consistently demonstrated that GDL systems are effective for reducing teen crashes and deaths.31112 For example, a meta-analysis including 14 different studies about GDL systems found that GDL systems are associated with reductions of about 19% for injury crashes and about 21% for fatal crashes for 16-year-olds.11

Best practice GDL systems include the following components:13141516

Stage 1: Learner's permit

  • Minimum age of 16 to obtain a learner's permit
  • A requirement to have a learner's permit for at least 12 months
  • At least 70 supervised practice hours

Stage 2: Intermediate/provisional license

  • No teen or young adult passengers
  • Restrictions on nighttime driving (from 9 or 10 pm until 5 am, or longer)

Stage 3: Full licensure

  • Minimum age of 18 to obtain a full license

Current GDL research has explored how many teens delay getting a license, characteristics of teens who are more likely to wait, and whether teens who delay getting a license might be missing out on important benefits of GDL because they are aging out of the GDL systems in their states.12161718192021

GDL Planning Guide

CDC's GDL Planning Guide can assist states in assessing, developing, and implementing actionable plans to strengthen GDL practices.

Cell phones and texting

Some states also don't allow any type of cell phone use (including hands-free cell phone use) by teen drivers. Some of these requirements are built into GDL systems while others are based on age. As of November 2022, 36 states and D.C. have young driver cell phone use bans in effect.

What parents can do

Eight Danger Zones

Make sure you and your young driver are aware of the leading causes of teen crashes and injuries:

  1. Driver inexperience
  2. Driving with teen or young adult passengers
  3. Nighttime driving
  4. Not using seat belts
  5. Distracted driving
  6. Drowsy driving
  7. Reckless driving
  8. Impaired driving

There are proven methods to help teens become safer drivers. Learn what research has demonstrated that parents can do to keep teen drivers safe from these risks.

Parents can help their teens be safer by knowing and following their state's GDL laws. Check out GDL laws by state on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's website to learn more about your state's GDL laws. Also, parents can set additional restrictions if the GDL laws in their state do not align with best practice.

Monitoring, supervision, and involvement by parents can help keep teens safer on the road

Parents can play an important role in keeping teens safe on the road. Some studies indicate that parental monitoring and involvement can help reduce risky driving behaviors and increase safe driving behaviors among teen drivers.3102223

Research indicates that there are some potential technology solutions that can help parents monitor their teen driver.324252627 For example, several different studies have evaluated the effectiveness of in-vehicle electronic monitoring devices.324252627 These devices were beneficial for reducing unsafe driving behaviors among teens, particularly if they provided feedback about driving performance to both teens and parents and if they encouraged communication between teens and parents. Smartphone-based apps to monitor teen driver behavior may have the potential to be similarly beneficial and more affordable, but more research is needed.32728

Parents can take other important actions beyond monitoring their teen's driving. For example, they can provide supervised driving practice for their teen under varied conditions. They can also set clear rules and expectations like always wearing a seat belt and not driving with any other teen or young adult passengers. Parents and teens can discuss and agree on safe driving practices by signing a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement.

Choosing a vehicle with safety features is important

Teens are typically more likely to drive older cars than adults.2930 Older cars may lack critical safety features that could help prevent a crash or keep teens safe if a crash occurs. Parents and teens should consider a car's safety features first and foremost when choosing a first car for a teen driver.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety publishes a list of affordable vehicles that meet important safety criteria for teens. They also recently released a research paper explaining the benefits of newer vehicle technologies, like crash avoidance features and teen driver-specific technologies. These technologies have the potential to dramatically reduce teen crashes, injuries, and deaths.

Resources

Parents Are the Key

Parents, pediatricians, and communities can find more information on how to keep teens safe on the road at Parents Are the Key. You will find free materials including a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement.

Related Pages

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Content Source:
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
  1. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Fatality Facts 2020: Teenagers. Arlington, VA: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute; May 2022.
  2. Kahane CJ. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Lives Saved by Vehicle Safety Technologies and Associated Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, 1960 to 2012 – Passenger Cars and LTVs – With Reviews of 26 FMVSS and the Effectiveness Of Their Associated Safety Technologies in Reducing Fatalities, Injuries, and Crashes (Report No. DOT HS 812 069). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); January 2015.
  3. Venkatraman V, Richard CM, Magee K, Johnson K. Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasures Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, 10th Edition, 2020 (Report No. DOT HS 813 097) [PDF – 641 pages]. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); July 2021.
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  5. Nichols JL, Tippetts AS, Fell JC, Eichelberger AH, Haseltine PW. The effects of primary enforcement laws and fine levels on seat belt usage in the United States. Traffic Inj Prev. 2014;15(6):640–644. doi:10.1080/15389588.2013.857017
  6. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Seat Belt and Child Seat Laws by State. Arlington, VA: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute; November 2022.
  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States (MV PICCS). Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; February 2022.
  8. Fell JC, Scherer M, Thomas S, Voas RB. Assessing the Impact of Twenty Underage Drinking Laws. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2016;77(2):249–260. doi:10.15288/jsad.2016.77.249
  9. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). Getting to Zero Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: A Comprehensive Approach to a Persistent Problem. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2018. doi:10.17226/24951
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  14. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Graduated Licensing Calculator. Arlington, VA: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute; 2022.
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  16. Curry AE, Metzger KB, Williams AF, Tefft BC. Comparison of older and younger novice driver crash rates: Informing the need for extended Graduated Driver Licensing restrictions. Accid Anal Prev. 2017;108:66–73. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2017.08.015
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