The greatest risk of death for teenagers in this country is on our roadways: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”): “[m]otor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens….”
From the CDC (footnotes omitted):
About 2,800 teens in the United States ages 13–19 were killed and about 227,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2020. That means that every day, about eight teens died due to motor vehicle crashes, and hundreds more were injured.
Fingers are often pointed at teen drivers as being inexperienced behind the wheel, as if this is the reason they face such a high risk of being severely injured or killed in a crash. However, safety agencies, cognitive researchers, and advocates for accident victims and their loved ones understand the issue is much more complicated.
The reality is the human brain is not fully developed by the time that state laws in Illinois and Indiana as well as other states allow the teenager to take the wheel. Teen drivers simply have different brains and cognitive function than adult drivers.
Illinois and Indiana Teen Driving Laws: 15 Year Olds Can Drive in Both States
Teenagers in Illinois can obtain a driver’s permit at the age of fifteen (15 years). This is part of the state’s “graduated driver license” program, where a driver’s license may then be obtained for drivers between the ages of 16 and 17 years and a “full license” being available for those aged 18-20 years. For details, read the requirements specified by the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State.
Hoosiers also have a structured or graduated licensing program. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles details how a teenager aged 15 years can get a “learner’s permit” with anyone under the age of twenty-one (21) years eligible for a “probationary driver’s license.” Only those over the age of 21 can get a standard driver’s license in the State of Indiana.
The younger the driver, the greater the risk of a fatal motor vehicle accident. Warns the CDC (footnotes omitted):
The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens ages 16–19 than among any other age group. Teen drivers in this age group have a fatal crash rate almost three times as high as drivers ages 20 and older per mile driven….
Crash risk is particularly high during the first months of licensure. For example, data indicate that the crash rate per mile driven is about 1.5 times as high for 16-year-old drivers as it is for 18–19-year-old drivers.
Teenagers and Human Brain Development: Brain Still Growing In Teen Years
The field of developmental neuroscience is dedicated to understanding how the human brain develops and specifically how the teenager may act or react differently than an adult. Teenagers are considered to be in a development period between childhood and adulthood (understood to be the mid-20s) that is labelled “adolescence.” During this time, as explained by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine:
the brain grows and changes in a number of ways. Gray matter in the cerebral cortex tends to thin, while white matter that connects various regions of the brain generally increases in volume. Functional connections between regions, which researchers measure with brain scans that track oxygen usage in blood, also undergo widespread changes during adolescence.
Read, “What neuroscience tells us about the teenage brain,” written by Zara Abrams and published by the American Psychological Association on August 25, 2022.
Recognizing the reality that the human brain is still evolving during the adolescent years is vital to understanding the greater risk of fatal car accidents faced by teen drivers.
Medical studies published by the American Association of Pediatrics confirm the following:
- The human brain does not achieve complete development until after adolescence.
- Puberty is a time of physical growth and sexual maturation accompanied by development and change in the adolescent brain, particularly the regions that control behavior, emotions, decision-making, and self-regulation.
- Adolescent cognitive immaturity, including deficits in self-control, attention, and executive function, may also contribute to teen driving behaviors.
- Many behaviors and motivations related to driving, such as risk and sensation seeking, are neurobiological in origin are less related to age than to stage of puberty.
- Many behaviors and motivations related to driving, such as risk and sensation seeking, are exacerbated when coupled with normative psychosocial changes of adolescence related to limit testing.
- Developmental demands present unique challenges for novice drivers, as they master skills that require knowledge, experience, and judgment at a time when risk-taking behaviors and the influence of peer pressure are at their peak.
For more, read: Alderman, Elizabeth M., et al. “The teen driver.” Pediatrics 142.4 (2018).
Teen Drivers: the Risk of Fatal Crashes or Catastrophic Injuries in Motor Vehicle Accidents
Appreciation of cognitive development has led to the passage of graduating driver’s license programs like those passed into law by both Indiana and Illinois. This does make things safer for our teenagers behind the wheel, along with their passengers and those sharing the roadways with them.
However, the risk of teen drivers suffering fatal injuries along with other accident victims remains unacceptably high. This is in many instances due to the fact that teens are operating motor vehicles, often at significant speeds, without the motor skills and other functions that adult drivers take for granted. The teen driver’s frontal lobe is just different from that of an adult. See, “How the Developing Teenage Brain Relates to Outcomes on the Road,” written by Liam Hoch and published by Driver Z Improv Learning.
- For more on the various components of the human brain, read Driving, the Brain, and Serious or Fatal Injuries: The Neuroscience of Driving in Car Accidents and Truck Crashes.
Seeking Justice After Fatal Teen Driver Accidents in Illinois and Indiana
For those who perish or suffer horrific bodily injuries in a motor vehicle accident where a teen driver is involved, it is vital to understand the unique complications of these types of incidents. These cases warrant an educated and compassionate approach by all those investigating the tragedy, from police officers at the accident scene to insurance adjusters and victim advocates in the aftermath.
Teen driver accidents are heart wrenching because very young lives are lost or irrevocably altered. It is unacceptable that statistics confirm these are the top cause of death for teenagers in this country.
In seeking justice, all those involved will recognize that teenagers may not be able to comprehend dangers on the road that adult drivers will understand as a matter of course. Teen drivers are also known to be more easily distracted because their brains function differently. Teenagers are also at risk of a more emotional response to road circumstances than older drivers.
There are physical distinctions that must be factored into these events because teenagers are driving with their brains not yet fully formed. Graduated licensing programs, as well as corresponding limitations imposed by both the law and by parents (such as driving after dark, driving on interstates, driving with friends, etc.) help to reduce the risk of a severe or fatal teen driving accident.
For those harmed in a teen driver crash, there are laws available in Illinois and Indiana that help provide justice to victims. Independent investigations may reveal several parties with legal liability here outside of the immediate assumption that the teenager is completely to blame (such as blown tires, other drivers, etc.).
For more, read:
- 100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers: Risk of Fatal Crash Skyrockets in Summer Months
- Teen Truckers in Indiana and Illinois: Congress Writes FMCSA and DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg
- Teen Drivers and Fatal Car Accidents: High Risk in Indiana and Illinois
- Teen Drivers Legally Licensed and Still Dying Behind the Wheel; Car Crashes Number One Cause of Teen Deaths (14 – 18 Year Old).
Car crashes involving teenagers are some of the most tragic kinds of motor vehicle accidents. Recognizing that adolescents are still growing cognitively is important to protect teen drivers and others on the roads of Illinois and Indiana. Please be careful out there!
