Teens Misjudge Dangers of Driving

August 2008

A new study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons has found that teens feel invincible while driving and consistently underestimate dangers on the road. Young drivers believe that poor road conditions or poor car design are factors that lead to accidents more often than human error.

The study found that young drivers think their age and agility enable them to overcome the dangers of hazardous driving conditions or intoxicants better than more experienced drivers. Despite these assumptions, teen drivers have the highest rate of car crashes and fatalities of any demographic group. Researchers claim that this is largely because existing injury prevention programs neglect to counteract the inaccurate views that teens hold about driving.

This information was collected during a one-day injury prevention program sponsored by the Toronto District School Board and St. Michael's Hospital. More than 260 high school students were evaluated.