Owning a driver's license
means the world to teenagers. But with a staggering 153,000 fatalities from road accidents in the East Asia Pacific region last year, concerned parents
are asking the question: Should we trust our teens to drive?
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| Should We Trust Our Teens Drive at Age 18? |
Carmudi, the safest way to sell
or buy your car online, examined accident data and the neuroscience behind teen
brain development to answer the question of whether teens should be allowed to
drive in the Philippines.
World Bank data shows that 85% of traffic
accidents take place in emerging countries, and 50% of all estimated deaths
occur in the Asia-Pacific region. The Philippines National Police recorded more
than 11,000 traffic accidents in the first six months of 2015, of which 87.2%
were due to human error. Statistics shows that these
accidents happen mostly on national roads, expressways, and city roads.
Teen drivers are often
involved in fatal crashes. In fact, the rate of fatal crashes for sixteen year
old per mile nearly doubles when compared to drivers aged eighteen and
nineteen, and is three times higher than the rate for drivers over twenty.
When it comes to reckless
driving and teenagers, it isn’t a case of not knowing any better. Research by
the National Institute of Health (NIH) found that the part of the human brain
that weighs risks and controls impulsive behaviour isn’t fully developed until
about age 25. The nucleus accumbens, which registers pleasure, grows from
childhood, reaching the maximum extent in the teenage brain, and then begins to
shrink. This, combined with a surge of dopamine receptors, which are
responsible for signalling enjoyment, makes teenagers rewards seem much
greater. To the teenage brain, the reward is greater than the risk.
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In addition to brain
chemistry, teen driving behavior contributes to auto accidents. Teens are more
likely to engage in high-risk behavior. This includes checking their cell
phones, as they become more comfortable with driving. After sixteen months of
driving, teens are involved in distracting behavior twice as often as adults.
Texting or making calls increases the risk of crashing threefold.
The age of vehicles driven
by teens is also a contributing factor to the fatality rate. Nearly half of
drivers ages 15 to 17 who died in car crashes from 2008 to 2012 had cars that
were at least 11 years old. The positive news is that automakers are increasingly building safer cars. Today, vehicles
boast all sorts of safety features, from dynamic head restraints and advanced
seat belts, to the all important ESC. Electronic Speed Control works by
automatically applying the brakes to individual wheels in order to help drivers
maintain control in extreme steering maneuvers. While accidents might not
decrease, the goal of future car designs is that fatal accidents will.
“Parents play the biggest
role in keeping their teens safe behind the wheel. Aside from safer vehicles
for teens and education on the awareness of cellphone and seatbelt usage,
parents also have to be aware of their own driving habits,” said Subir Lohani,
managing director of Carmudi Philippines.
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**Press release from Carmudi Philippines
