Trucks and teen motorists a dangerous mix, NTSB panelists say

“Many professional drivers learn about this as a condition of employment. But it’s time to reach everyone — the fleet drivers, those making sales calls, delivering pizza, ridesharing and ordinary commuters as well.”

According to fellow panelist Dan Mayhew, senior research scientist at the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, teen and novice drivers are a significant contributor to the problem, including crashes involving light vehicles and heavy trucks.

“Teen driver crashes are both a road safety issue and a public health concern,” Mayhew said. It’s a road safety issue because teens have an elevated crash risk. Those ages 16 to 19 are nearly three times more likely than drivers 20 and over to be in a fatal crash.

“From a public health perspective there’s a real concern because motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers and have been for some time.”

People ages 15-19 represent only 7% of the U.S. population but account for about 11%, or $10 billion, of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries, he said.

While crashes involving distracted driving are on the rise among all road users, there are other contributing factors to teen driver crashes, Mayhew said, including experience and age.

“Teens become easily overloaded because they’re just learning” driving skills, he said. He noted that teens are also less likely than experienced drivers to identify and respond to hazards, while tending to misjudge risk and overestimate their driving abilities.

Regarding age, “when you’re 16 to 19 years old, you’re more likely to be influenced by peers in the vehicle and you’re more susceptible to engaging in risky behaviors.”

To better understand how novice drivers interact with trucks, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) in Blacksburg conducted a study that found that only half of the states in the U.S. require new drivers to learn about sharing the road with commercial motor vehicles.

“All the [driving] instructors that we’ve talked to really emphasize a need for more materials about sharing the roads with trucks,” said VTTI Senior Research Associate Matthew Camden, speaking on the panel. “There are a lot of programs out there, but there’s never going to be enough.”

A VTTI program that began in 2015 revealed that young drivers retained more information from participating in immersive experiences, Camden said, such as “getting out of the classroom and getting their hands on a truck, and experiencing for themselves where the blind spots are on a tractor trailer, and why stopping distances for heavy trucks are much further that required by a car. When our students get in the seat of a truck, things just start to click for them.”

On average, students are able to answer 25% more questions after a trucking “immersion” experience than after a classroom session alone, he said.

Panelists from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the American Trucking Associations — both of which have ongoing “share the road” campaigns — highlighted the need to elevate awareness at the high school level, where many teens receive driving instruction.

“Importantly, we like to work with other stakeholder groups to learn how truck drivers can share the road better with all these other groups, because it’s a two-way street,” said Kevin Grove, ATA’s safety and technology policy director, during the discussion.

“The more we can all understand everyone’s perspective on the roadway, the safer the roads will be.”

Related articles:

• New data shows 14% decline in large-truck fatalities
• Trucking tells FMCSA crash reporting presumes drivers guilty
• FMCSA says insurers aren’t disclosing costs of truck crash claims

Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.