Two 16 year old youth were killed on a Saturday night at 11:30 pm when the car they were riding in veered across the lane divider and crashed head on into a truck. The passenger was thrown from the vehicle which caught fire after the impact. The
teen driver had received his license one month prior to the crash. Both teens were tested for alcohol. The driver had a BAC of 0.05 and the passenger had a BAC of 0.04. Neither teen was wearing a seat belt.
Data were examined on the causes of crashes including: driver error, speeding, recklessness, license less than 6 months, driver impairment (e.g. drug or alcohol), previous driving violations, and poor weather. Lack of appropriate restraint occurred most frequently in 44% (19) of the deaths, and driver error in 44% (19) of the deaths, followed by speeding in 35% (15), recklessness in 35% (14), and driver inexperience in 23% (10) of the deaths.
 Twenty-three percent (10) of the motor vehicle crash occupant deaths involved a driver who had a license for less than six months.
Inexperienced drivers are more apt to lose control of the vehicle and drive off the road
rather than hit another vehicle. Seventy-two percent (18) of the crashes were single motor vehicle crashes. Most of these crashes were caused by excessive speed. Poor road conditions were a factor in only 3 crashes. See Figure 5: Factors in Motor Vehicle Occupant Deaths.
Learning to drive requires a complex set of skills. The new Graduated Driver?s Licensing (GDL) law is designed to provide young, inexperienced drivers the opportunity to develop their skills with increased education and super-vision. The law limits the time youth may drive (midnight to 5 a.m. is restricted), and the number of passengers they can carry (no passengers other than family members in the first 6 months and no more than 3 passengers in the second six months). In addition, this law requires that youth pass an approved driver education course and log 50 hours of supervised driving time prior to obtaining a full license. These provisions were added to the existing provisional driver?s license, which limits the number of citations allowed, requires no alcohol use when driving and requires seat belt use. Oregon's Graduated Driver?s License law went into effect March 1, 2000. Had this law been in effect in 1999 (and fully enforced), 35% (15) of the motor vehicle occupant deaths among children aged 10-17 may have been prevented.
 Alcohol tests were completed in 81% (35) of the crashes. In incidents where alcohol testing
was performed, 23% (8) involved an intoxicated driver. Seventeen drivers were given a drug
test, 35% (6) were positive.
The effectiveness of safety belts in prevention of injury and death in motor vehicle crashes
is well established. They are estimated to reduce motor vehicle fatalities by 40-50% and
serious injuries by 45-55%. All occupants in motor vehicles in Oregon are required by law to
wear seat belts if seat belts are available in the vehicle. Restraints were not in use in 37%
(16) of the crash deaths and used incorrectly in an additional 5 deaths. Lack of restraint use was particularly a problem among children aged 10-17 who died while occupants in vehicles. Among this age group, 61% youth who died in crashes were not properly restrained. See Figure 6: Frequency of No or Incorrect Restraint Use in
Fatal Crashes.
Pedestrian
The 9 pedestrian fatalities occurred across all age groups, with the highest occurrence among those aged 10-14 (3 deaths). There were five female and four male pedestrian fatalities. Four (44%) occurred on a highway.
Bicyclist
There was one fatal crash involving an eight year old girl.
Recommendations to Prevent Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths
- Increase correct restraint use, particularly among teens.
- Improve enforcement of speed and seat belt laws.
- Decrease drinking and driving.
- Enforce and fully implement the Graduated Driver?s Licensing law.
- Increase use of child safety seats by children aged 0-4.
Examples of current safety initiatives
- Implementation of Graduated Driver?s Licensing law.
- Identifying places where teens drink alcohol, and instituting appropriate enforcement of drinking laws.
- Enhancing enforcement of speed, seat belt and driving while intoxicated laws during high risk periods.
- Educating drivers and passengers about the risks of speeding, driving unrestrained, and driving while intoxicated.
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