President's Message


Tony DeNovellis
President and CEO

Why teens crash (hint: it’s not speeding)

All of us adults know that teenagers pose a greater risk on Colorado roads than drivers of any other age. But none of us want to take away their opportunity to get behind the wheel and learn to guide that shining hunk of metal safely over asphalt and dirt, through city streets and over mountain roads, in school zones and rush-hour traffic, in bright daylight and darkness, and on surfaces both dry and wet.

So how do we lower the sky-high numbers of teen crashes and fatalities?

Tougher laws supported by AAA helped drop those numbers nationwide, but teens still account for 10 times as many crashes and four times as many fatalities as adult drivers.

The danger is especially great in summer. Crash deaths for 16- and 17-year-old drivers average nearly 20 percent higher in July and August, relative to the average monthly toll, according to a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety analysis of federal crash data. From 1995 through 2004, an average of 104 16- and 17-year-old drivers died during July and August, compared to an average monthly death toll of 87 young drivers over the 10-year period.

Research by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia suggests that the behavior many adults suspect—speeding—isn’t the key reason for teen mayhem. Instead, the hospital’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention says that teens crash and die because of three factors: failure to scan the road, misjudging their driving conditions, and distractions.

“Teenagers keep a tunnel vision right off the hood of the car,” Dr. Dennis Durbin, co-director of the center, told The New York Times. “They think all they need to do is look straight ahead, but they don’t realize the need to be scanning back and forth so they always know where their car is in space.”

Young drivers fail to slow down at a curve or in slippery conditions, he said, and are usually distracted more by a passenger than by their phone.

AAA offers a program that addresses these behaviors. It’s called Keys2Drive. We’ve mentioned it in this space before, and we’ll do it again, because it works and more people need to know about it. If you’ve got a teen who’s approaching driving age, check it out at www.teendriving.aaa.com/CO.

Here’s some of the advice you’ll find:

Start with Dare to Prepare, an online workshop that gives you the basics on the licensing process.

When you’re behind the wheel, describe what you see (road signs, pedestrians, other vehicles, etc.) that could result in the need to change speed, direction or both. Have your teen comment, too.

Colorado requires that parents and their teens conduct 50 hours of supervised practice driving (including 10 hours at night), but AAA recommends at least 100 hours.

Your teen has been watching your driving habits for the last decade or so. Show you take driving seriously.

Tony DeNovellis
President and CEO

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