Traffic Safety Citations More Common Among Teen Boys Than Girls: Study

Findings show that speeding is the most common traffic violation among teen drivers, accounting for more than a quarter of all citations.

New research indicates that teenage boys between the ages of 15 and 17 are significantly more likely than girls of the same age to commit traffic violations and receive repeat citations.

A report published last month in Traffic Safety Research found that a teen’s risk of receiving multiple citations increases more than threefold with each additional year of early driving experience, raising their chances of being seriously injured or killed in a crash.

Crashes involving teen drivers led to more than 2,500 deaths across the U.S. in 2022, equating to 11.57 fatalities per 100,000 teenagers. Safety experts say the combination of inexperience, overconfidence and distraction continues to make teen drivers one of the most vulnerable groups on American roads.

Researchers from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with the University of California and Ohio State University, examined trends in traffic citations, court charges and repeat offenses among teen drivers.

Led by Priyanka Sridharan, the team analyzed 6,232 traffic citation records from Ohio’s Franklin County Juvenile Traffic Court, covering 5,364 drivers ages 15 to 17 between January 2018 and May 2022.

Of all offenses reviewed, 28.5% involved speeding, 22.9% were for driving without a valid license, and 6.9% were for failure to maintain control of the vehicle. Speeding was most common among 16- and 17-year-olds, while nearly half of all violations among 15-year-olds involved unlicensed driving.

Male drivers had higher rates of unlicensed-driving violations, seatbelt offenses, and were more likely than females to receive repeat citations.

“Our findings indicate that males and those cited for speeding are more likely to receive repeated citations. Efforts to reduce these behaviors could play a significant role in improving traffic safety for teen drivers, underscoring the need for targeted, evidence-based interventions.”

— Priyanka Sridharan, Traffic Offenses, Court Charges, and Repeated Citations Among Teen Drivers With Traffic Violations

Researchers report that understanding the characteristics of traffic violations, especially among males and speeding offenders, is crucial for developing targeted interventions to promote safe driving and reduce accidents.

Teen Driving Dangers

Previous research shows that speeding plays a role in nearly half of all teen driving deaths, and about one-third of fatal crashes occur when a teen driver is traveling above the speed limit. Studies also indicate that young drivers are more vulnerable to distractions than once believed, compounding the risks already associated with inexperience behind the wheel.

Cellphone use, in particular, has emerged as one of the strongest predictors of dangerous driving behavior among teens, more so than gender, time of day, or how long they have been licensed. Researchers estimate that teen cellphone use contributes to nearly one in ten fatal crashes, underscoring how quickly a moment of inattention can turn deadly.

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