Car crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds. In 1997, AAA launched a nationwide campaign called Licensed to Learn, a program designed to improve teen driver safety by raising awareness of the severity of the problem, bolstering driver education and improving the licensing process.
To date, all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have enacted either full or partial graduated driver-licensing laws, and AAA has been instrumental in these efforts. AAA remains committed to helping teens survive the most dangerous period of their lives and that of their peers: learning to drive.
AAA fully supports all these laws, but we recognize that a lot more can be done to reduce teen crashes and fatalities. Raising awareness of teen driver safety and the steps that parents, educators and even teens themselves can take to solve this crisis is a priority we all share.
For more information on teen driver licensing, please contact Justin McNaull, director, State Relations at: jmcnaull@national.aaa.com; 202-942-2065.
Teen Drivers: Everyone is at Risk
Analysis that shows that between 1998 and 2007 crashes involving 15- to 17- year-old drivers claimed the lives of 28,138 people, of which 10,388 (36.9%) were those drivers themself. However, the majority of fatalities in these crashes were people other than those drivers, and included 8,829 of their passengers, 6,858 occupants of vehicles operated by drivers 18 years of age or older, and 2,063 nonmotorists.
Teens and Parents Find What You Need on DMV Web Sites
AAA urges states to share division of motor vehicle best practices for helping parents understand the teen crash problem and their role in assisting teens in becoming safer drivers.
Parent Guidelines
AAA's Parent-to-Parent Teen Driving Discussion Guide to help you, your teens, their friends and their parents develop rules that will help you all get through this exciting process more safely and with a bit less anxiety.
Young Drivers
Provided by NHTSA's National Center for Statisics and Analysis, this document provides statistical information on young drivers and motor vehicle crashes.
AAA is the largest provider of traffic safety educational materials in the country. Otto the Auto and other characters teach kids about bicycle, pedestrian and bus safety; traffic signs and signals and other topics. AAA also leads the industry in driver education materials.
