Friends Can Be a Good Influence on Teen Drivers

February 2009

Teens can make a big difference when it comes to encouraging their peers to be safer drivers. A study conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions found that when teen passengers speak up, teen drivers are less likely to engage in risky driving behaviors like street racing or using a cell phone.

Between 2001 and 2006, street racing took 804 lives, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. When surveyed, 87 percent of teens said that they would refrain from street racing if their passengers asked them to, but only 57 percent said they would ask a driver to stop.

It has been found that nearly half of all drivers aged 18-24 send text messages while they drive, but 76 percent of surveyed teens said that they would stop texting while driving if asked. However, only 46 percent of respondents said that they would actually ask a driver to stop. Similarly, only 41 percent of teens involved in the survey said they'd ask a driver not to speed, and 18 percent said they'd ask a driver to stop talking on a cell phone.