Are teens safe drivers?

redrepair

Nope--they rank second to drivers in the 80-100 years of age for accidents and tickets. What they gain in reaction time they lose in experience and able to judge fellow divers. Just the opposite with the elderly: what they have in experience they lose to eyesight and reaction time.

Mike S

Some are, & some are not.....Most are not safe drivers because they have very little experience.

grrluknow

It's not fair to state that teens are unsafe drivers.

Teens are *inexperienced* drivers and can't be expected to have the same skills as older drivers.

Teens need to have a LOT of practice driving time before being allowed to legally drive alone.

The legal driving age should be raised to 18, for the safety of teens and everyone else on the road. There should be a minimum of two years' good experience behind the wheel before a driver's license can be applied for.

UNITool

As a whole, teens are among the most UNsafe drivers on the road. That's why they're insurance rates are higher. Inexperience is the only real reason; and doesn't mean that every teenager is a hazard. Some are very good responsible drivers.
Some may tell you that seniors get in more accidents; and thay may be true. The accidents that seniors tend to get into however are much less severe. Theirs are fender benders because they're reaction time was a little slow; whereas teenagers are full on wrecks because they lost control going 70 mp;h.

alexherrig05

Statistically, no. They aren't experienced enough to handle what the road throws at them. It takes years to gain the right muscle memory to know how to react in a dangerous situation. Even then, some people just aren't cut out for driving, and I always get stuck behind those people on the freeway for some reason.

rasco

NO !!!

MelissA

It really depends on how they're taught to drive. If your parent is a crazy driver (cuts corners on the rules, no pun intended) My dad is a class A transport driver and he taught me the 'etiquette of the road' kind of thing. (The crazy things four wheelers do...) It really depends on the teacher, but teenagers are generally pretty safe if theyre with a parent, a little more adventurous if theyre not with one.

toadyboy

im almost 50 years old // teens this day and age dont learn as much as we had to which makes them much more dangerous drivers// besides most teeenagers think fast//fast// fast// found out that fast is not best// driven 18 wheeler for 30 years drove 7-1/2 million miles // only had 1 accident can say its because going slower and driving more relaxed// good luck

trojan

Some are some aren't, it all depends on the driver (doesn't matter if it's male or female). Most teens I know are safe drivers but are inexperienced but also note that most adults are no better than teens. To elaborate even more, seniors are just as bad (if not worse) than teens.

askingandanswering

depends on there parents,how they were taught,there friends influence them also.just depends on the kid,all kids are different

gregthomasparke

Some are, Some arn't, are adults safe drivers? some are some arn't. I had my truck clipped yesterday and the woman took off. Jaguar ran a red light, black car, dark morning, no headlights. She runs the read, I stopped jsut in time, and she clipped my front corner just above the marker light (my truck is lowered) and took a chip of paint about the size of a dime off my fender, and she took off, and it pisses me off I didn't catch a plate. I saw her, she was an older woman, maybe 45. If I was 3 inches further in the intersecton it would have been really bad. My truck has a 1/4inch steel bumper and is bolted straight to the frame.

oklatom

Statistically, no. That's why teens have the highest insurance rates. This is also why many states are going to the graduated rules for driving in an attempt to keep teens safer on the road.

Eric B

yah, most of them think they know how to drive a car and they don't. They think they are some kind of test driver but in reality most of those kids haven't even worked the handbreak in a parking lot much less delt with skids at 75 mph.

Suzy Q

proven they have more accidents then any other people.

lyn

SOME ARE SOME AREN'T. THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE THAT THE OLDER DRIVERS HAVE.

bluff mike

As a group, no. They lack experience and are easily distracted.

GRUMPY

Some are and some are not. BUT I don't think it is a matter of safe or unsafe. I think it comes down to EXPERIENCED or UN-EXPERIENCED. This they will get with time behind the wheel, as well as with the guidance of an experienced driver like a parent who should be teaching them.

Me again

Some are, most are not. That's what I've seen anyway. If you see a car coming at you from the back at twice the legal speed, it sure as hell ain't gonna be grandma that's for sure.

thresher

NO there attention span when driving is easily distracted.There
driving judgement and skills arn't up to speed yet.It takes about 5 years of driving to get within reasonable skill levels.Driving alone
seems to be better becuase less distraction.I would not want
kids to drive with a cell phone.

dodge man

some are and some aren't,some of them especially where i live at think their king of the road ,they have a license and they now own the road ,that's the way a lot of them around where i live at think,there's at least 3 accidents a day in my area all involving teen -aged drivers ,but there's a lot of good driver s out there also,some of the are real god for their age ,but you have to watch out,being a teen-agers and speeding doesn't mix,they don't have the experience needed to avoid an accident ,but there are a few safe ones out there,good luck hope this help,s.

blahblahblah

most of them are not.

eaglefox200

Lack of experience = don't know how to adjust to dangerous situations = unsafe.

Teens need to stop thinking Gran Turismo on PS2 is drivers ed. for the 21st century.

Jess

Statistically, no. I have read quite a few times, though, that it is related to general maturity and not driving skills. Something like half of all fatal accidents involve drivers under the age of 18. Maybe the 50% figure is an urban legend or something, but the number of fatalities involving 16 and 17 year old drivers is inordinately high. It is because they lack the decision making skills and maturity to know how to cope with difficult situations and are unable to choose the correct course of action - whether it relates to driving or dating - and they wind up making bad decisions, which lead to trouble.

Go to the link below to read many verifiable facts about teens and accidents and fatalities. Here's one example:

"When driver fatality rates are calculated on the basis of estimated annual travel, teen drivers (16 to 19 years old) have a fatality rate that is about four times higher than the fatality rate among drivers 25 through 69 years old."

That bit of information is consistent with my 50% figure above - I think...

JACK OF TRADES

Most of them.Working in a collision shop I found senior drivers got in more accidents than young drivers.In fact we had regular customers who just kept banging them up.Alot of seniors will pay out of pocket so that they don't have their rates go up or loose their license.

Fred C

Some are excellent drivers. There are a fair percentage that believe they are invincible, and nothing can happen to them. They are overconfident in their abilities, and they cause the tragic accidents that cause younger drivers to be assessed higher insurance premiums.

alta

depends on the person. we take more risks than older drivers but we are also typically more alert and have better reflexes than elder generations. it's the prime time of our lives.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: