Hand-me-down wheels or a deathtrap on wheels?
Passing down vehicles to teen drivers could be a recipe for disaster, according to a new study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Researchers found that teens driving cars 6-15 years old face a 19% higher risk of death in a fatal crash than those driving vehicles five years old or newer.
And if the car is over 15 years old, the risk jumps to a staggering 31%.
“Families should be advised to prioritize safety features when choosing the first car for teens, ensuring it is newer and safer, given the increased involvement of teen drivers in motor vehicle crashes and motor vehicle crash-related fatalities,” lead researcher Jingzhen Ginger Yang told Newsweek.
According to the study, teens are more likely to drive older cars that lack essential driver-assistance tech like automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot monitoring.
Each of these features is associated with a 6% reduction in driver death risk during a fatal crash, the study found.
“Parents commonly pass their old vehicles to their teens who are still learning basic driving skills,” study co-author Fangda Zhang told the outlet.
“While it is an exciting milestone for families with new drivers, this practice increases teens’ vulnerability to vehicle malfunctions, making their driving less safe.”
To curb the carnage, Yang recommends prioritizing newer vehicles with advanced safety tech and regular maintenance if a newer car isn’t an option.
But even when Gen Z drivers get behind the wheel of a newer vehicle, they’re still not exactly model motorists.
In a survey of 2,000 drivers conducted by Talker Research for Distracted Driving Awareness Month, 54% of Gen Z respondents admitted to eating while driving in the past year, compared to 53% of millennials and just 32% of baby boomers — which can be distracting when behind the wheel.
And it’s not just drive-thru munchies — 32% of Gen Z said they’d driven while tired, 15% had a heated argument with a passenger while behind the wheel, and 13% let a pet sit on their lap while driving.
The survey, commissioned by digital insurance company Lemonade, also found that only 30% of Gen Z believe their peers are safer drivers than other age groups.
That’s a far cry from 60% of Gen X and 63% of baby boomers who gave their own generation the same vote of confidence.
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