Have you ever been hit by new driver? Wisconsin residents know that without sufficient driving experience, teen drivers serve as a hazard on the road. Specifically, newly-licensed drivers cause car accidents, which lead to injuries. In a recent study, researchers examined the driving patterns of teen drivers.

To get to the root of the problem, researchers installed state of the art equipment in 42 new drivers' cars, which recorded high g-force events. G-force events are when a car exhibits quick starts and sharp turns. The new motorists were monitored for 18 months. Researchers kept track of any crashes or near crashes that the teens had.

For every 100 miles of driving, the equipment recorded from about zero to about 50 g-force events. In approximately 68,000 driving trips, there were 37 crashes and 242 near crashes. Researchers discovered that as the rate of g-force events during driving increased, the number of crashes additionally increased. Furthermore, g-force events in one month helped forecast crashes in the subsequent month. Researchers report that the events did not cause the crash; however, the pattern of risky driving measured by g-force events helped predict crashes.

As parents, we are often concerned about our teen drivers. Fortunately, electronic products that assess teen driving are available for about $500. Nevertheless, it hasn't been proven whether the systems will actually reduce a teen's chance of getting into an accident.

A researcher commented about the study's findings: "What's important for parents to know and for policymakers to know is that young drivers are at very high risk, and even if you could identify those who are at somewhat lower risk than higher risk, the biggest part of the risk is being inexperienced."

This article brings to light the significance of reducing negligent drivers on our roads. With driving experience, we can potentially decrease the number of reckless accidents and injuries caused by newly-licensed teen drivers.

Source: Reuters, "Risky starts and stops predict teen crashes," Feb. 20, 2012