A new national study has revealed a unique statistic that may force the public to rethink their focus on the safety issues of teenage driving. According to a new study created by State Farm Insurance and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 30 percent of the people killed in a car accident caused by a teenage driver are not even in the vehicle driven by the teenager. Instead, nearly one-third of those killed in teenage car accidents are pedestrians, occupants of other vehicles and bicyclists.

Usually when the public thinks about a car accident involving a teenage driver, the focus of concern is directed toward the young driver behind the wheel. The results of the study challenge that notion and some experts believe that the public should start to put some focus on those who are affected by car accidents caused by teenage drivers. In addition to revealing safety issues regarding other users of the road, the study also looked at four behaviors that contribute to teenage car accidents.

Those four behaviors are: speeding, distracted driving, alcohol use and the lack of seat belt use. In 2008, almost 700,000 people were involved in a car accident caused by a teen driver and over 40,000 people were injured by a teenager behind the wheel. One of the experts who conducted the study said that in order to improve the accident numbers, there needs to be a focus on adjusting the four behaviors. According to the study, more than 50 percent of teen drivers who were fatally injured in crashes were not wearing a seat belt and were speeding. Around 40 percent of teenage drivers who were fatally injured had alcohol in their system and about 16 percent of fatal injuries were attributed to distracted driving.

Source: The Times Herald, “Study shows others affected by teen car wrecks,” Carl Hessler Jr., 1/25/11