So, you all do know that this year the number of traffic accidents and fatalities has increased- for the first time in a long time.  (35,200- a 7.7% increase over 2014- despite the fact that cars are getting safer.)  It shouldn’t come as a surprise, because with the precipitous drop in the price of gas, we are driving more.  And, as any cogent being realizes as they traverse this great land, too many folks should not have a driver’s license (maybe they don’t- but are behind the wheel anyway). At the very least, many (most?)  should be barred from getting behind the wheels of the ridiculous large vehicles they own, since they can’t handle them properly at all.

But, it’s worse for our younger drivers. Because traffic accidents have been the the #1 killer of our youth for a very long time.  That’s been true even as traffic fatalities were been halved over the past decade (2005 to 2014).  And, as is true for older drivers, traffic fatalities for our youth rose 10% last year.

Part of that reason is the one I have quoted many times- which is the the only thing I ever learned in my driver ed class some 49 years ago. Mr. Moser told us that he is not going to be able to teach us how to drive a car… that he could only instruct us how to operate a motor vehicle.   But, we we gained experience, we would became drivers. So, that’s the big reason behind the teenage automobile accidents. They lack experience, judgement, and skill- even if they ‘operate’ their vehicles proficiently.

But, the other cause is a factor that several states have recognized. For example, the Commonwealth of Virginia bars any young driver (18 or under) from having more than 1 other person in the car under the age of 21- unless those passengers are siblings- or there is a parent or court-approved guardian in the front passenger seat. Once the driver has had a licence for 1 year, then s/he can carry up to three passengers under 21- but ONLY if the travel is to or from a school-authorized event, there is a driver over the age of 21 is in the front passenger seat, or it is a bona-fide emergency. These operators are also barred from using a cell phone- whether or not there is a hands-free device associated with it. (All Virginia drivers are required to use hands-free devices, if they are also operating a vehicle.)

Dr. Bruce Simons-Morton (NIH, National Instittue of Health- Child Health and Human Development Institute) has found that male teenagers are thrice as likely to speed when there is a fellow male in the car than if they are alone or with parents- or, interestingly, if there is a female passenger. And, as his research continued during his years at the Univesity of Michigan, his studies found that peer pressure- the urge to rush, to be reckless- overpowered any common sense that the teenager may have possessed without being in such an environment.

Further studies he effected showed that peer pressure was the major cause of the accidents these youths had.  Given that, it should not surprise you that when the other folks in the car- or the group (if it were a simulation)-  were responsible and were not those who might promote aggressive or reckless driving, the same youths who succumbed to bad habits now exercised more care.

Just like when there were femalepassengers in their car.

Lessons learned?

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