The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has conducted a study on how the broader implementation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and other driving aids in new cars can mitigate or prevent up to three-quarters of fatal crashes involving teenage drivers. Even though active safety features like lane departure warning and frontal collision avoidance are beneficial for everyone, the study finds that advanced crash avoidance technologies are particularly relevant to teen drivers.

?We know these technologies don?t stop 100 percent of the crashes they?re designed to address, but our analysis shows that potential benefits for teen drivers could be pretty stunning if they were widely used,? said Alexandra Mueller, IIHS Research Scientist and lead author of the paper.
The Grim Truth

In a past report by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the Ford Motor Company Fund, speeding is the leading cause of death for teenagers living in the United States. The IIHS study adds teen drivers are nearly four times as likely to crash as drivers 20 years and older and are more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than any other age group (except those 80 and above).

In addition, past research has proven teen drivers struggle to recognize hazards, leading to more loss-of-control and run-off-the-road crashes. Furthermore, studies have shown that teen drivers are more prone to losing focus and are less likely to lower their speed to compensat...