Teens with own cars have more crashes, study finds

[J.D.]

Yahoo article:

Teens with own cars have more crashes, study finds

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer Fri Sep 25, 1:04 pm ET

CHICAGO – Parents beware: Giving in to teens' demands for their own cars can have dangerous consequences, new research suggests.
Teenagers with their own cars or free use of one are much more likely to get in crashes than those who share a car. And crashes are much less common among teens whose parents set clear driving safety rules.
The findings are in two studies by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and funded by State Farm Insurance Co. They were released Friday and are in the October issue of Pediatrics.
The researchers say the findings can help parents keep their kids from becoming a grim statistic: Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, killing more than 5,000 each year.
Getting a driver's license and car are often viewed as rite of passage for U.S. teens, and many parents underestimate the risks.
More than 7,000 people nationwide were killed in crashes involving teen drivers in 2007, government data show. More than 3,000 of these deaths were teen drivers, and more than 250,000 teen drivers were injured.
"With teen drivers, you have to recognize that it's a public health issue," said Dr. Jeffrey Weiss, a Phoenix pediatrician who co-wrote an American Academy of Pediatrics report on teen drivers.
The 2006 report encourages parents to highlight the seriousness of driving privileges by requiring teens to sign driving contracts promising to abide by safety rules.
The new research shows that kind of hands-on approach pays off.
"Families need to know that driving is different" from other steps toward independence,said Dr. Flaura Koplin Winston, the study's lead author. "Just at the time their teen is pulling away, they need to get back involved to spare them heartache."
The research is based on a nationally representative survey of more than 5,500 teens in grades nine through 11. Students at 68 high schools answered questionnaires in 2006.
More than 2,000 students who reported driving on their own were the focus of one study; 70 percent said they had their own cars or were the main drivers of cars they used.
Winston said it's alarming that so many kids have their own cars or feel that they have free use of one. She said that freedom can lead to "a sense of entitlement about driving" that may make them less cautious.
Among these "main" drivers, 25 percent had been involved in crashes, versus just 10 percent of teens who shared driving access. Winston said the lower crash rate doesn't reflect less driving time, but is likely due to having to ask for the car keys, which helps parents monitor their kids' driving.
Compared with teens whose parents were uninvolved, kids who said their parents set clear rules and monitored their whereabouts without being overly controlling had half as many crashes and much better driving habits.
These teens were 71 percent less likely to drive while drunk and 30 percent less likely to use a cell phone while driving than kids with uninvolved parents.
Dr. Niranjan Karnik, a University of Chicago specialist in adolescent mental health, said the research underscores the importance of appropriate parenting and widely enacted graduated licensing laws for teens.

Debby Hendricks of Hatfield, Pa. made her daughters wait until age 17 to get their licenses, and gave them lots of driving practice beforehand.
The girls, aged 17 and 19, also share a family car, and can't "just grab the keys and leave" without saying where they're going and with whom, Hendricks said.
So far so good — neither girl has been in an accident, although the younger one, Leslie, has only had her license for a few months. Leslie considers herself a safe driver, but adds, "I probably do underestimate the risks."

No kidding, that means that if you have the car more often then theres more of a chance to get into an accident...wow stupid...

[Brandon...?]

I've never had a serious car accident. I guess I'm a statistic then, but I've never hit anyone else. I just veered my car into a ditch and fucked up the front end. Thankfully no one else was involved.

I guess that's one reason why I don't like text messaging. My friends all do it and drive, and it scares the fuck out of me.

[Radio Storm]

Silly rich kids and their self indulgent lifestyles.

[charlisangel]

Well teens with cars are mostly dumbasses who drives to fast and like to be stupid.

[Sparticus]

No fucking way! You mean that I'm more likely to be in a crash than someone that doesn't have a car? That's utterly fucking fascinating. Stupid waste of time.

[Vardøger]

Wow, I never would have thought that people with cars would crash more!

By the end of this we'll have to get a janitor to mop up all the sarcasm from the floor

[steeper]

Originally Posted by J.D.

Yahoo article:



No kidding, that means that if you have the car more often then theres more of a chance to get into an accident...wow stupid...

"Winston said the lower crash rate doesn't reflect less driving time, but is likely due to having to ask for the car keys, which helps parents monitor their kids' driving."

It makes sense. If I go to my mom and say "can I have the keys" and she knows I've had wine with dinner, or that I'm going to a bar with my friends then she's going to say no. If i have my own car I can just leave.

[J.D.]

Originally Posted by steeper

"Winston said the lower crash rate doesn't reflect less driving time, but is likely due to having to ask for the car keys, which helps parents monitor their kids' driving."

to be honest I only read part of it, but just thinking that having more of an opportunity will cause a higher risk.

[steeper]

Having more opportunity also increases your skill and confidence behind the wheel.

[The Raven.]

Makes sense to me. If you are driving a parent's car, of course you are going to take better care of it.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Dylan

Makes sense to me. If you are driving a parent's car, of course you are going to take better care of it.

this is what i thought. also, if you're rich enough to have a car given to you then you most likely don't know the value of a dollar anyhow

[Malevolent]

Originally Posted by Dylan

Makes sense to me. If you are driving a parent's car, of course you are going to take better care of it.

That's true. When you're using something that isn't yours and has significant value you're more likely to be careful when using it rather than something that belongs to you.

[Nas]

Originally Posted by Dylan

Makes sense to me. If you are driving a parent's car, of course you are going to take better care of it.

My thoughts exactly.

[Kevohall]

Originally Posted by charlisangel

Well teens with cars are mostly dumbasses who drives to fast and like to be stupid.

Thats not entirely true. But there is a large group of idiot young drivers out there giving all young carowners a bad name.........and thus hiking up our insurance costs.

[FORD.]

Originally Posted by Dylan

Makes sense to me. If you are driving a parent's car, of course you are going to take better care of it.

Yes.

But then again if you have your own car that you bought with your own money you're more likely going to take care of it more since you paid for it.

I didn't read the whole article but sometimes it isn't the teen's fault for getting in the accident, are they taking that into consideration? I know when I got in an accident with my Mustang which I paid for entirely myself it wasn't my fault and I would be SO pissed if my accident was seen as "oh she got in an accident because she's a teenaged driver" when clearly it was the other stupid woman's fault who was 30