We start out like helpless babes, and march onward through competency, then to an age of diminished capacity.

And while we grumble and grouse about our “white-haired” drivers who seem, as Shakespeare puts it, to be in mere oblivion, the truth is that we have little to complain about from them. Looking at the numbers, it’s the beauty of youth we have to fear.

A teenager (and yes, especially a teenage boy), full of confidence in skills he has yet to acquire, lacking judgment and not having learned the need for judgment, is the one we have to look out for.

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Watch out for the newbies
Less than one percent of people over 65 die as a result of motor vehicle accidents. On the other hand, car crashes are the major cause of death for the age group 16-19. As the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety puts it “Teenage drivers represent a major hazard.”

The young and the lead-footed are truly scary. Their risk of crash per mile is 4 times higher than in older age groups. Males in this group are twice as likely as females to die in a car crash.

Age and experience do matter
And while older drivers do have problems that can sometimes effect their ability to be the drivers they once were, studies show that older drivers tend to be aware of their limitations and restrict their driving as their abilities diminish. As a result, car accidents involving seniors are generally not serious. The spike in per mile fatality with older drivers is due to their increased fragility. (A driver over 65 is twice as likely to die from the same accident as a driver over 55, and a driver above 75 has four times the risk.)

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Solutions?
For older drivers, increased monitoring of their physical abilities is important. Some states have instituted medical checks for drivers above a certain age. For younger drivers, more and more states are adopting graduated licensing systems, which give increasing privileges as the drivers mature.

If you have teens, take the time to help them become smart, safe drivers. Teach them the following important safety tips:

• Obey the speed limit
• Drive defensively
• Don’t drink and drive
• Wear seatbelts at all times
• Limit distractions (cell phones, too many friends in the car, changing the CD player)

Please note that this description/explanation is intended only as a guideline.

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Article courtesy of Insurance.com (c) 2007.