Yuma teen drivers 1st in U.S. in fatal car crashes involving speed

Speeding is a factor in more teen-related traffic fatalities in Yuma County than in any other county in the United States, according to a recent study by Allstate Insurance Co.

According to the Allstate America's Teen Driving Hotspot study, which examined national crash statistics from 2000 to 2006, speeding was a factor in more than 77 percent of fatal car crashes involving teen drivers in the Yuma area.

"This study is important for all parents in Arizona and around the country," said Denis Bailey, field vice president for Allstate’s Southwest region. "Allstate has shown a long-standing commitment to reducing crashes involving a teen.

"As a parent of a teen driver, I find this study compelling. Car crashes claim the lives of more American teens than anything else. We all have the responsibility to talk to our teens about smart driving decisions - even before they get behind the wheel. Parents also need to set a good example through our own good driving behavior."

While Yuma County leads the nation in fatal car crashes involving teen drivers in which speed was determined to be a factor, it does not rank high in the overall number of accidents involving teen drivers.

The study aimed to draw attention to safe teen driving, especially in markets where teen crash rates are higher, according to Allstate spokeswoman Melissa Stoloff.

It also identified "hotspot" U.S cities where fatal teen driving crashes are more prevalent based on their local teen populations.

The average rate of fatal car crashes involving a teen driver in Yuma is 24.92 annually per 100,000 teens. In comparison, greater Phoenix experienced a teen fatal crash rate of 34.51 per capita.

When looking at the most common causes of those fatal crashes involving a teen driver, the study indicates that speeding was a factor 77.3 percent of the time in Yuma - more than four times that of alcohol, a factor in 18.2 percent of the crashes.

According to Traffic Sgt. Don Willits of the Yuma Police Department, there has been an average of two speed-related fatal accidents involving teen drivers each year over the past three years.

In 2007, two teen drivers were killed in accidents where speed was considered a factor - one in February at Ridge View Drive and Parkway Avenue and the other in November on County 14th Street.

While not specifically related to teen drivers, overall YPD has also averaged 350 speed-related injury accidents the past three years, Willits said.

According to the Allstate study, based on its statistics, there were a total of 22 fatal accidents in the Yuma area involving teen drivers and speeding during the seven-year period of the study.

Most recently, two Yuma teenagers were killed in February when a car skidded into a canal near near Avenue D and County 12-1/2 Street.

Willits said one of the biggest reasons Yuma probably ranks so high is due to a teen driver's inexperience.

"I just don't think teens have the driving experience that older drivers use every day to determine what is a safe speed to travel," Willits said. "Also because of that inexperience, they are more likely to take unnecessary risks."

Besides not paying attention to speed limits, Willits said, teen drivers tend to be more easily distracted by passengers in their vehicle, talking on their cell phones and paying more attention to the stereo.

Another factor, according to Willits, is that teen drivers occasionally engage in reckless driving because they do not understand the dangers it involves.

Willits went on to say other factors can affect an inexperienced teen driver's perception of his or her speed such as long, straight and wide roads and the speed of the traffic around them.

Inexperienced teen drivers, according to Willits, should reduce their distractions while they are behind the wheel, observe and obey speed limits and pay closer attention to road conditions.

"Depending on the roadway conditions, such as weather and hazards, the posted speed limit may not be safe," Willits said, "thus reduce your speed to one that is safe and reasonable."

The Allstate study also found that nationally fatal crash rates for teens are double in rural areas compared to cities and suburbs. In Arizona, teen drivers in rural areas are 58.8 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than in metro areas, according to the study.

"You might intuitively think that busy city streets would be more fatal, but that isn't the case," Stoloff said. "Every state in the nation shows this trend."

Overall, according to the study, Arizona ranks 20th in the number of teens killed in fatal speed-related accidents.

The greatest disparities in rural over metro crash rates were seen in Utah, with North Dakota and Illinois also posting significant differences.

The study also found that many of the nation's largest metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles, have some of the lowest rates of fatal crashes involving teen drivers and speed.

"When you look at the study, some of the smaller metro areas were more deadly," Stoloff said.

Something else revealed by the study was that in the Yuma area, seat belts were not used in 54.5 percent of all fatal teen accidents - "which is also on the high end of the study," Stoloff said.

All states also showed a higher fatal crash rates for male drivers. In Arizona, 71.6 percent of crashes involved a male driver.

The study was conducted by Allstate in conjunction with Sperling’s BestPlaces (www.bestplaces.net), a Portland, Ore., research firm specializing in demographic studies and analysis.

A more detailed breakdown on the study results - including other market and state comparisons - can be found at http://media.allstate.com/categories/7-news-releases/releases/4404-allstate-america-s-teen.

Monday's release of the study findings by Allstate Insurance kicks off the company’s new national "Action Against Distraction" public awareness campaign.

Throughout May and June - months leading up to some of the deadliest driving days for teens - Allstate will be conducting teen distracted driving training courses aimed at reducing the impact of distracted driving practices.

BY THE NUMBERS

Fatal crash rate percentage involving teen drivers in which speeding cited was a factor from 2000-2006.
1. Yuma, Ariz. - 77.3
2. Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, R.I.-Mass. - 51.0
3. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. - 49
4. Pittsburgh, Pa. - 48.6
5. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. - 48.3
6. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H. - 48.3
7. St. Louis, Mo. - 48.3
8. Kansas City, Mo. and Kan. - 46.9
9. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Conn. - 46.5

Source: Allstate Insurance Co.

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average of more than 17 teens a day die on American roads during June, July and August - the three months with the highest teen crash rates.

• More than 5,000 teens die in car crashes every year. While research shows that both parents and teens believe alcohol is the cause of most crashes involving teen drivers, the primary causes of most teen crashes - between 2003 and 2005 - was driver error (87 percent).

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.