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Teen drivers in the dark about greatest risk, surveys show

October 30, 2007

TTI researchers surveyed more than 4,400 teens at 18 Texas high schools over the past year to determine how much they knew about driving risk factors, and how often they engaged in risky driving behaviors. The findings bring new understanding to the reasons behind the number-one cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. See the survey results below (or in PDF format [PDF] ).

All Texas High Schools

Awareness of Top Driving Risks
Drinking/Drugs 79.58%
Cell Phone/Texting 36.17%
Speeding 29.10%
Too Many Teen Passengers 18.49%
Seatbelt Use 8.64%
Driving at Night 1.01%
Survey total 4442
bar graph depicting survey results for 'Awareness of Top Driving Risks' at Texas high schools.
Number of Top Five Risks Identified - Comparison of Texas High Schools

Top 5 Risks are: Driving at Night, Cell Phone/Texting and Too Many Teen Passengers; Speeding; Seatbelt Use; Drinking and Driving.

Number of Top Five Risks Identified Percentage (All) Percentage (Urban) Percentage (Rural)
5 0.58 0.60 0.46
4 10.76 10.83 10.37
3 37.39 37.87 35.02
2 37.47 36.85 40.55
1 11.80 11.71 12.21
0 2.00 2.13 1.38
Survey Total: 4442 3123 1319
General Report (in Percentage)

The report below is based on 4442 records from the survey.

10 times or more 6-10 times 3-5 times 1-2 times Never
2. Driven a vehicle with one or more other teenagers in it without anyone over the age of 21? 43.9 11.75 11.58 11.16 21.61
3. Ridden in a vehicle driven by someone who was a teenager without anyone over the age of 21 in the vehicle? 51 15.13 12.91 10.59 10.37
4. Driven after 10 p.m. at night without someone over the age of 21 in the vehicle? 46.02 12.6 9.93 9.86 21.59
5. Talked on the cell phone while driving? 32.39 11.08 10.56 12.56 33.42
6. Text messaged (read or sent) while driving? 23 8.25 9.17 11.07 48.52
7. Driven without a seat belt? 9.42 4.35 7.49 14.59 64.14
8. Driven 10 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit? 19.31 7.52 13.62 15.85 43.7
9. "Street-raced" anyone? 7.54 4.07 6.11 10.39 71.89
10. Driven with passengers who did not wear a seat belt? 11.04 7.11 11.86 19.12 50.88
11. Driven after having had alcohol to drink (even just one drink)? 5.69 3.53 6.48 11.15 73.16
12. Driven after taking over-the-counter medicine that causes drowsiness (such as Benadryl)? 3.76 2.9 5.27 13.71 74.36
13. Driven after taking illegal drugs? 4.22 2.09 2.56 5.51 85.62
14. Got lost or confused while driving in your local area? 4.48 4.33 8.26 20.36 62.57
15. Got lost or confused while driving outside of your local area? 6.82 7.36 15.65 25.56 44.61
Yes No
16. Do you have a driver's permit? 31.7 68.3
17. Do you have a driver's license? 48.57 51.43
18. Did you go through a formal driver education course as part of your driver training? 41.59 58.41
19. Did you take a Driver's Education course from your parents? 40.13 59.87
20. Did you take an on-road driving test with a law enforcement officer before receiving your driver's license? 17.1 82.9
21. Do your parents allow you to drive alone on a regular basis (at least once per week)? 63.26 36.74
22. Have you ever received a traffic ticket? Yes No
Speeding 11.3 88.7
Following too closely 2.54 97.46
Running a red light or stop sign 6.47 93.53
DUI 2.44 97.56
Please rate the following as to their positive impact on your personal driving habits. Very effective Somewhat effective Not effective Not applicable
a. Driver education materials 28.72 43.01 14.49 13.78
b. Time spent driving with a parent 48.01 33.06 9.91 9.02
c. Time spent driving alone 42.9 30.07 9.22 17.8
d. Driver education course 33.09 29.6 11.73 25.58
Less than 5 miles 5-10 miles 11-20 miles More than 20 miles
23. Approximately how many miles do you drive in an average day? 30.82 22.1 23.59 23.5
Not at all A little Very familiar
24. How familiar are you with the Graduated Licensing Law in Texas? (for example: no driving after midnight, limited number of teen passengers, etc.) 49.9 38.17 11.94
25. How much has the Graduated Licensing Law in Texas impacted your driving habits? 61.38 31.3 7.32

Urban Texas High Schools

Awareness of Top Driving Risks
Drinking/Drugs 93.15%
Cell Phone/Texting 42.44%
Speeding 35.91%
Too Many Teen Passengers 22.07%
Seatbelt Use 10.07%
Driving at Night 1.12%
Survey total 3123
bar graph depicting survey results for 'Awareness of Top Driving Risks' at urban Texas high schools.
General Report (in Percentage)

The report below is based on 3123 records from the survey.

10 times or more 6-10 times 3-5 times 1-2 times Never
2. Driven a vehicle with one or more other teenagers in it without anyone over the age of 21? 37.36 13.15 13.08 12.32 24.09
3. Ridden in a vehicle driven by someone who was a teenager without anyone over the age of 21 in the vehicle? 46.77 16.12 14.56 11.51 11.04
4. Driven after 10 p.m. at night without someone over the age of 21 in the vehicle? 40.17 13.4 11.51 10.82 24.08
5. Talked on the cell phone while driving? 25.18 11.26 11.92 14.03 37.61
6. Text messaged (read or sent) while driving? 18.03 8.42 9.69 12.06 51.8
7. Driven without a seat belt? 8.83 4.52 7.91 14.66 64.08
8. Driven 10 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit? 16.5 8.25 15.18 15.84 44.22
9. "Street-raced" anyone? 6.56 3.93 5.57 9.18 74.75
10. Driven with passengers who did not wear a seat belt? 10.23 7.63 11.99 19.47 50.68
11. Driven after having had alcohol to drink (even just one drink)? 5.6 3.66 7.03 10.8 72.9
12. Driven after taking over-the-counter medicine that causes drowsiness (such as Benadryl)? 3.35 2.73 4.85 12.68 76.38
13. Driven after taking illegal drugs? 3.99 2.31 2.82 5.46 85.42
14. Got lost or confused while driving in your local area? 4.26 4.56 8.93 20.29 61.96
15. Got lost or confused while driving outside of your local area? 6.42 7.62 15.57 24.73 45.66
Yes No
16. Do you have a driver's permit? 32.81 67.19
17. Do you have a driver's license? 39.1 60.9
18. Did you go through a formal driver education course as part of your driver training? 39.33 60.67
19. Did you take a Driver's Education course from your parents? 37.28 62.72
20. Did you take an on-road driving test with a law enforcement officer before receiving your driver's license? 18.05 81.95
21. Do your parents allow you to drive alone on a regular basis (at least once per week)? 58.82 41.18
22. Have you ever received a traffic ticket? Yes No
Speeding 6.7 93.3
Following too closely 2.06 97.94
Running a red light or stop sign 5.18 94.82
DUI 2.06 97.94
Please rate the following as to their positive impact on your personal driving habits. Very effective Somewhat effective Not effective Not applicable
a. Driver education materials 29.87 40.41 13.77 15.95
b. Time spent driving with a parent 46.44 33 10.53 10.04
c. Time spent driving alone 42.34 29.89 9.33 18.43
d. Driver education course 35.08 27.19 11.24 26.49
Less than 5 miles 5-10 miles 11-20 miles More than 20 miles
23. Approximately how many miles do you drive in an average day? 35.37 23.72 21.73 19.19
Not at all A little Very familiar
24. How familiar are you with the Graduated Licensing Law in Texas? (for example: no driving after midnight, limited number of teen passengers, etc.) 45.88 41.22 12.89
25. How much has the Graduated Licensing Law in Texas impacted your driving habits? 57.14 34.46 8.4

Rural Texas High Schools

Awareness of Top Driving Risks
Drinking/Drugs 47.39%
Cell Phone/Texting 21.30%
Speeding 12.96%
Too Many Teen Passengers 10.01%
Seatbelt Use 5.23%
Driving at Night 0.76%
Survey total 1319
bar graph depicting survey results for 'Awareness of Top Driving Risks' at rural Texas high schools.
General Report (in Percentage)

The report below is based on 1319 records from the survey.

10 times or more 6-10 times 3-5 times 1-2 times Never
2. Driven a vehicle with one or more other teenagers in it without anyone over the age of 21? 57.68 8.79 8.48 8.71 16.35
3. Ridden in a vehicle driven by someone who was a teenager without anyone over the age of 21 in the vehicle? 59.95 13.02 9.42 8.65 8.96
4. Driven after 10 p.m. at night without someone over the age of 21 in the vehicle? 58.31 10.88 6.59 7.89 16.32
5. Talked on the cell phone while driving? 47.58 10.67 7.67 9.44 24.64
6. Text messaged (read or sent) while driving? 33.44 7.9 8.05 8.97 41.64
7. Driven without a seat belt? 10.75 3.99 6.61 14.44 64.21
8. Driven 10 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit? 23.81 6.35 11.11 15.87 42.86
9. "Street-raced" anyone? 9.14 4.3 6.99 12.37 67.2
10. Driven with passengers who did not wear a seat belt? 12.72 6.09 11.57 18.35 51.27
11. Driven after having had alcohol to drink (even just one drink)? 5.86 3.24 5.32 11.86 73.73
12. Driven after taking over-the-counter medicine that causes drowsiness (such as Benadryl)? 4.62 3.24 6.16 15.87 70.11
13. Driven after taking illegal drugs? 4.7 1.62 2 5.62 86.06
14. Got lost or confused while driving in your local area? 4.93 3.85 6.86 20.57 63.79
15. Got lost or confused while driving outside of your local area? 7.74 6.81 15.79 27.32 42.34
Yes No
16. Do you have a driver's permit? 29.3 70.7
17. Do you have a driver's license? 68.53 31.47
18. Did you go through a formal driver education course as part of your driver training? 46.34 53.66
19. Did you take a Driver's Education course from your parents? 46.19 53.81
20. Did you take an on-road driving test with a law enforcement officer before receiving your driver's license? 15.08 84.92
21. Do your parents allow you to drive alone on a regular basis (at least once per week)? 72.67 27.33
22. Have you ever received a traffic ticket? Yes No
Speeding 22.3 77.7
Following too closely 5.56 94.44
Running a red light or stop sign 14.58 85.42
DUI 4.86 95.14
Please rate the following as to their positive impact on your personal driving habits. Very effective Somewhat effective Not effective Not applicable
a. Driver education materials 26.38 48.43 15.98 9.21
b. Time spent driving with a parent 51.3 33.25 8.59 6.86
c. Time spent driving alone 48.26 31.66 8.11 11.97
d. Driver education course 28.95 34.6 12.74 23.71
Less than 5 miles 5-10 miles 11-20 miles More than 20 miles
23. Approximately how many miles do you drive in an average day? 22.58 19.12 26.96 31.34
Not at all A little Very familiar
24. How familiar are you with the Graduated Licensing Law in Texas? (for example: no driving after midnight, limited number of teen passengers, etc.) 58.46 31.64 9.89
25. How much has the Graduated Licensing Law in Texas impacted your driving habits? 70.46 24.53 5.01

News Release

For release: 10:00 a.m. on October 30, 2007
For more information: Bernie Fette, 979-845-2623 (office) or 979-777-7532 (cell)
For complete survey results: http://tti.tamu.edu/infofor/media/topics/teen_driving/

Teen drivers in the dark about greatest risk, surveys show

Driving in Texas is about to get a lot more dangerous for teenagers beginning this weekend. To make matters worse, the most comprehensive study so far about teen driving safety reveals that young drivers aren't even aware of the danger.

The release of the study findings comes just days before the annual end of Daylight Saving Time. Nearly two-thirds of teen crashes happen between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. When clocks are set back an hour, the nighttime risk becomes an issue even earlier in the evening, say young people who are working to raise risk awareness among their peers.

"Nighttime driving is at the top of the danger list, but it's at the bottom of the awareness list," says Krizia Martinez, a spokesperson for Teens in the Driver Seat at the Texas Transportation Institute. "We're working to change that, because if we can help other young drivers really understand the dangers they face, we can help them drive more safely."

Teens in the Driver Seat is the nation's first peer-to-peer safety program for young drivers. Unlike other programs, TDS involves young drivers directly in developing and delivering safety messages. The TDS Program (www.t-driver.com) is available to Texas high schools at no cost through support provided by the Texas Department of Transportation and State Farm Insurance of Texas.

"TDS is about partners working together to save young lives," said Texas Transportation Commissioner Hope Andrade. "We all have a role to play – the public sector, private business, lawmakers, and most importantly, the teens themselves."

TTI researchers surveyed more than 4,400 teens at 17 Texas high schools over the past year to determine how much they knew about driving risk factors, and how often they engaged in risky driving behaviors. The findings bring new understanding to the reasons behind the number-one cause of death for teenagers in the U.S.

  • Fewer than one percent of Texas teens understand that driving at night is unsafe, while almost half say they routinely drive after 10 p.m.
  • Only a third of teens recognize that it's dangerous to talk or text on a cell phone while they drive, and roughly half of them admit to doing so frequently.
  • 72 percent of teens cite alcohol or drug use more often than any other risk factor, even though those factors rank fifth on the list of crash causes.

"These are alarming, but very real statistics and as a leader in auto safety, at State Farm we feel an urgency to make our young drivers aware of the increased risk driving will present as the days become shorter," said Ronnie Lee Vandiver, Marketing Manager, State Farm Texas Zone. "We want our teenagers to be aware of the risks so they can stay safe this winter."

Car crashes kill about 6,000 teens nationwide each year, with Texas accounting for some 500 of that total, in what has been increasingly described as an "epidemic" in recent years. Researchers say the crashes are caused primarily by inexperience combined with one or more of five risk factors, in this order of frequency: driving at night, distractions (cell phones/texting and other teen passengers, etc.), speeding, low seat belt use, and alcohol. Fewer than 40 percent of the students surveyed could name three of the risks correctly, 10 percent were able to name four, and fewer than 1 percent could name all five.

The survey findings also suggest that the problem can be worse depending on where you live. The teens surveyed in rural areas:

  • Are twice as likely to talk on a cell phone or send and receive text messages while driving,
  • Are more than three times more likely to have received a speeding ticket, and
  • Are more likely to drive at night.

"Teens in the Driver Seat is about peer-to-peer communication," says Tabitha Zant, a Mason High School student and member of Teens in the Driver Seat. "Most of the time, teens don't listen to adults, but we will listen to each other."

An analysis at several of the schools in the TTI study shows the TDS program to be effective in changing young driver behavior. Cell phone use by drivers at those schools dropped by 30 percent after students became active in the cause. In addition, seat belt use increased by about 10 percent at those schools.

For More Information

Bernie Fette
ph. (979) 845-2623 · cell (979) 777-7532

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