Idaho teenagers more likely to die in car crashes

Idaho’s teenagers are more likely to die as a result of a car crash than by other causes, according to the state’s 2011 vital statistics. Idaho parents lost 68 sons and daughters younger than 19, as a result of motor vehicle crashes from 2009-11.  
As graduation season approaches, high school graduates are remembering their classmates who will never receive a diploma because they died too young in a motor vehicle crash.

“You have to wonder that if we lost this many kids due to an epidemic or an illness that we would want to find a cure, but driving is not seen as high-risk activity for kids by most parents,” said Officer Kyle Wills of the Boise Police Department.     

Teenage drivers (ages 15-19) represent nearly six percent of licensed drivers during the last three years (2009-2011), but represent 17 percent of drivers involved in fatal and serious-injury, aggressive-driving crashes, and 17 percent of the drivers involved in fatal and serious-injury, distracted-driving crashes.

That means teenage drivers were involved in nearly three times as many fatal and serious-injury, aggressive-driving crashes as would be expected and also involved in nearly three times as many fatal and serious-injury, distracted-driving crashes as would be expected.

“No matter how good a driver you think you are, taking your eyes off the road at 55 mph for just 4.6 seconds, which is the length of time it takes to read and send a text, is like driving the length of a football field blindfolded,“ explained Wills.

Published 4-19-13