Young drivers at risk, AAA warns parents

by Brent Whiting - Apr. 17, 2008
11:57 AM The Arizona Republic

Two Peoria teens were injured when they crashed a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse while attempting to shoot a car stunt for posting on the You Tube video-sharing site.

Three crashes involving teenage drivers, including one over the past weekend in Peoria, serve as a sad reminder that teen motorists are at risk, an AAA Arizona official says.

"Young drivers are more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers in any other age group, especially when their vehicles contain passengers," said Linda Gorman, a spokeswoman for the group that provides automotive, insurance and auto-travel services.

Studies show that for each passenger a teen driver has in a vehicle, the crash risk doubles, she said Thursday "Driving inexperience, multiple passengers and speeding is often a recipe for disaster in many of these instances," Gorman said. In fact, traffic crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for teens throughout the United States, killing more of them than alcohol, drugs, suicide and violence combined, she said.
That's why it's important for parents to talk to young drivers about a number of safety issues, including distractions, speed, drugs, alcohol and seat-belt usage, she said.

Gorman said her concerns have been fueled by these three crashes:
• A Saturday crash in Peoria in which a 16-year-old male driver, according to police, was trying to perform a high-speed car stunt for the popular YouTube video-sharing Web site.
•Mike Tellef, a Peoria police spokesman, said Thursday that the driver remains in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. A 17-year-old female passenger escaped with injuries that were less serious.
• A fatal rollover Wednesday evening on Arizona 153 north of University Drive in Phoenix. The crash involved seven teen occupants of a GMC SUV, including a 17-year-old male driver and a 15-year-old passenger who was ejected and killed.
• A Thursday morning collision in Pinal County in which two teenage Florence girls were injured after their vehicle collided with an oncoming train on Arizona Farms Road near Hunt Highway.

Gorman said that from 1995 through 2004, teen-driver crashes in Arizona killed nearly 700 people, according to a study commissioned by AAA Arizona.

"These tragedies that occurred over the past couple of days are similar to the ones we hear about year after year," she said. "Unfortunately, as a result of them, we are reminded of how devastating the results can be."

In 2006, more than 9,000 teens in Arizona were injured and 160 were killed, Gorman said. In addition, males were more likely to die in these crashes than females.