Idaho ranks 8th worst state for teen driving in 2017
Summer is the time for a lot of fun activities, and among teenagers it’s getting their drivers licenses.
Its an exciting right of passage but in horrible circumstances, it can be a death sentence for thousands of teens each year.
Idaho is ranked the 8th worst state in the nation for teen driving, according to WalletHub.
“The inexperience and the complexities of being a teenager driving — and then you add that in with being a teenager, those two things don’t mix well together,” Greg Austin, a Blackfoot police officer who teaches defensive driving, said.
In the U.S., motor-vehicle accidents continue to be the leading cause of death among the teenage population, which is also the age group with the highest risk of crashes.
“The kids talk about how these statistics belong in bigger states, and I think there seems to be a huge misnomer about it’s not going to happen here and it’s not going to happen to us,” Austin said.
The WalletHub study factors in quality of roads, presence of certain laws, and amount of miles traveled when analyzing the driving environments of the 50 states. Here’s how the Gem State’s bad ranking breaks down, 1st being the best and 25th being average:
43rd – Teen driver fatalities per teen population 38th – Teen DUIs per teen population 39th – Avg. cost of car repairs 37th – Premium increase after adding teen driver to parent’s policy 23rd – Vehicle miles traveled per capita 28th – Presence of occupant-protection laws 21st – Quality of roads 29th – Presence of impaired-driving laws
Austin said, this is why driving programs like Alive At 25 are great. “You get a lot of good information in Driver’s Ed, but the reason why I think Alive At 25 really works is because the kids have been out on the road for a while and have some type of an experience. And they’re able to take some of that experience and say, ‘Hey, I’ll be able to apply this to that situation next time that I go.”
To view the full study, visit WalletHub.
Here is a list of the upcoming Alive At 25 sessions in the area:
Pocatello – June 24 Rexburg – June 27 Pocatello – July 2 Blackfoot – July 31 Pocatello – Sept. 30
