Driving Technology Benefits Young Drivers Most And Could Slash Teen Crashes
-
Jim Liebelt Jim Liebelt's Blog - Published Sep 23, 2021
*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on Forbes.com.
Crash avoidance features and teen-specific vehicle systems could offer large safety benefits for teen drivers — they have the potential to prevent or mitigate up to three-quarters of fatal crashes. And crash avoidance technologies appear to benefit young drivers more than older ones.
Those are the highlights of several new reports released earlier this month by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit financed by the insurance industry, and its affiliate, the Highway Loss Data Institute.
One study that addressed the safety benefits of crash avoidance technologies like front crash prevention and lane departure prevention found that they can help a particularly crash-prone group of drivers – teenagers.
Researchers concluded that if the technologies were universally used and completely effective, they could prevent or mitigate 41% of all crashes involving teen drivers and as many as 47% of teen driver injuries and 78% of teen driver deaths.
Three other studies by the Highway Loss Data Institute based on an analysis of insurance data found that young drivers under 25 gained bigger benefits from crash avoidance tech like front crash prevention and lane departure warning than drivers 25 and older.
