Vehicle Accessibility: Association with Novice Teen Driving Conditions

Novice teen drivers have disproportionally elevated crash rate compared to older drivers’. The high crash rate among novices is generally attributed to multiple risk factors, including driving inexperience, young age, risky driving behavior, vehicle accessibility, time of day, and driving with teenage passengers. The current naturalistic driving study with novice-teenagers evaluated the associations between vehicle accessibility (primary or shared) and driving conditions. Of 83 study participants 55 had primary vehicle access. Teens who shared a vehicle drove 22% more miles with an adult passenger in the vehicle compared to teens with primary vehicle access. Primary vehicle access was significantly associated with increased driving exposure (i.e. number of trips and miles driven) and driving with teen passengers. Driving with an adult present is protective, while greater exposure and driving with teenage passengers are known risk factors. Our findings indicate that primary vehicle access increases exposure overall and to driving with teen passengers, thereby increasing crash risk.