On Mon, 04 Jun 2007 05:37:16 -0700, Beliavsky
wrote:

It's a simple matter to develop competency tests to determine what
rights a young person should be given, just as we now have competency
tests for driving.

Yeah, that works! Teenagers pass the test, then drive drunk, have
more accidents and are not responsible drivers.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens,
accounting for 36% of all deaths in this age group (CDC 2006).
However, research suggests that the most strict and comprehensive
graduated drivers licensing programs are associated with reductions of
38% and 40% in fatal and injury crashes, respectively, of 16-year-old
drivers (Baker et al. 2007).

******************************

* Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate
hazardous situations or dangerous situations or not be able to
recognize hazardous situations (Jonah 1987).

* Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow
shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the
front of the next). The presence of male teenage passengers increases
the likelihood of these risky driving behaviors among teen male
drivers. (Simons-Morton 2005).

* Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were
involved in fatal crashes in 2005, 38% were speeding at the time of
the crash and 24% had been drinking (NHTSA 2006a, NHTSA 2006b).

* Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of
seat belt use. In 2005, 10% of high school students reported they
rarely or never wear seat belts when riding with someone else (CDC
2006b).

o Male high school students (12.5%) were more likely than
female students (7.8%) to rarely or never wear seat belts (CDC 2006b).

o African-American students (13.4%) and Hispanic students
(10.6%) were more likely than white students (9.4%) to rarely or never
wear seat belts (CDC 2006b).
* At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of
involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for
older drivers (IIHS 2006).



o In 2005, 23% of drivers ages 15 to 20 who died in motor vehicle
crashes had a BAC of 0.08 g/dl or higher (NHTSA 2006b).

o In a national survey conducted in 2005, nearly 30% of teens
reported that within the previous month, they had ridden with a driver
who had been drinking alcohol. One in ten reported having driven after
drinking alcohol within the same one-month period (CDC 2006b).

o In 2005, among teen drivers who were killed in motor vehicle
crashes after drinking and driving, 74% were unrestrained (NHTSA
2006b).

* In 2005, half of teen deaths from motor vehicle crashes occurred
between 3 p.m. and midnight and 54% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or
Sunday (IIHS 2006).


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits