According to data shared by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety(IIHS), teen drivers in the US are four times as likely to crash per mile driven as drivers who are 20 and older. They also have more chances of getting involved in a fatal crash than any age group except those 80 and above. However, a recent research has suggested that if vehicles add crash avoidance features and teen-specific vehicle technologies, then up to three-quarters of dangerous crashes involving teen drivers can be prevented.
The study by IIHS has found that safety benefits of crash avoidance technologies like front crash prevention and lane departure prevention could be particularly beneficial for teen drivers, even though these features are designed for everybody. It has been found in other studies that teen drivers are specifically worse at recognizing hazards and controlling the vehicle than more experienced drivers, which results in more loss-of-control and run-off-road crashes. Teen drivers are more likely to lose focus and less likely to lower their speed to compensate for wet roads or poor visibility. This age group of drivers is also often involved in rear-end and right-angle crashes.
To conduct the research, the group of experts analysed passenger vehicle crashes that involved teen drivers and took place on the US roads from 2016-2019. Crash scenarios that are relevant to three crash avoidance features –lane departure warning/prevention, blind spot monitoring, and front crash prevention –and three safety technologies designed for teen drivers were also analysed by the researchers.
Based on the assumption that the technologies were universally used and effective, the study found that together these technologies could help in avoiding 41 percent of all car crashes where teen drivers are involved. The study also suggested that the inclusion of such technologies could also prevent as many as 47 percent of teen driver injuries and 78 percent of teen driver deaths.
A few automobile companies are including technologies specifically designed for teen drivers. The in-vehicle technology suites by Ford’s MyKey and GM’s Teen Driver include features like gear shift or stereo system interlocks that activate when the front seat occupants aren’t buckled. Smartphone apps like BlueLink, created by Hyundai can provide parents with driving report cards and even real-time alerts when their teen child is speeding or breaking nighttime driving curfews and rules.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and Ukraine-Russia War Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment