If you’re the parent of a teen who’s itching to get behind the wheel, it’s completely normal to feel a little anxious. After all, we all know young drivers are more likely to get in collisions. Right?
Well, here’s something that might help ease your concerns. A recent study from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is flipping that old assumption on its head. It turns out, with the right training and support, younger drivers can actually be safer behind the wheel than some of their older peers. Let’s look through the results of that study.
What the Study Found
Researchers looked at driving records from over 129,000 newly licensed drivers in Ohio, focusing on those between 16 and 24 years old. Ohio is interesting because it requires 16- and 17-year-olds to go through comprehensive driver education, including behind-the-wheel training, classroom learning, and Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) rules. Once you’re 18-years-old, though, those educational requirements go away.
So the big question was: are those younger drivers, who went through all that training, actually better prepared?
I grew up in Ohio and experienced this firsthand. I took my driver education course and met all the requirements at age 16 and got my license at age 17. Several of my friends, however, decided to wait until they were 18 so they could skip the driver education requirements. My friend Jill got her license at age 18 after no driver education experience, and she was a much more anxious driver than I was.
My own personal anecdote aside, the results of the study found that there was a stark difference between those with driver education experience and those without. The 16-year-olds had 27% fewer crashes in the first two months of driving compared to 18-year-olds.
Over the first year, they still had 14% fewer crashes.
Even when it came to the driver’s test, 16-year-olds had a 22% failure rate, while 18-year-olds failed at a much higher 37%. That’s a pretty strong case for training making the difference, not just age.
Why This Matters for Parents
A lot of parents wait until their child turns 18, like my friend, to get their license. Whether it’s to save money or to wait until the child is more mature, it’s worth rethinking because this study shows that waiting until a driver is older doesn’t make them safer drivers. In fact, it does the opposite. When teens get proper, structured education early on, they’re more prepared, less likely to crash, and more confident on the road.
Dr. Elizabeth Walshe, one of the lead researchers, put it best: "We should not assume that the youngest new drivers will have the highest crash rates. With comprehensive licensing requirements, these younger drivers can perform better than older novice drivers who are exempt from these requirements."
So, what does this mean for you and your teen?
- Don’t wait until 18 if you can help it. The sooner your teen starts learning, the better.
- Choose a driving school with high ratings and positive reviews. There are many driving schools out there, and they are not all created equal.
- Make practice a priority. Even once the learner’s permit is in hand, logging practice hours with you in the passenger seat is still one of the best ways to build skill and confidence.
- Don’t let your busy schedule get in the way. Our online driver education courses are perfect for busy families.
Starting young, with the right tools and training, can make a real difference. Let’s help our kids not just get their licenses, but also keep them safe on the road for years to come.
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