Safety Information Systems
Young Drivers
Maine Crash Facts, 1996
Maine Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES)
During 1996 14,880 (1 in 7) Maine licensed drivers age 16-24
were involved in motor vehicle crashes on Maine roads.
Among these drivers 2,538 were injured, 1,025 transported
by EMS, 115 hospitalized, and 49 were hospitalized or died with
a head injury.
For young drivers the rate of injury in motor vehicle crashes
was more than 3 times the rate for older drivers.
Compared to older drivers, young drivers were more likely
to be involved in crashes at night, on rural roads, using excessive
speed, and driving with a suspended license. Crashes involving vehicles
that ran off the road and/or occurred at a curve in the road were
more common for younger drivers.
During a crash the likelihood of an injury was increased by
2.8 times if alcohol was involved and 1.6 times if illegal or unsafe
speed was involved.
Young drivers involved in crashes had lower rates of belt
use than older drivers. Fifty-two percent of young drivers who were
hospitalized or died with a head injury were not using a seat belt.
Of the 14,880 young Maine drivers involved in crashes during
1996, 6,208 (42 percent) also had passengers riding with them. Four
out of five of their passengers were other teens and young adults
who also experienced significant injuries and medical costs.
The impact of passengers on the outcomes of young driver crashes
added 50 percent to the number of injuries, EMS transports, and
hospitalizations.
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Table 1. Outcomes
of 1996 crashes involving Maine drivers age 16-24.
| Outcome measure |
Drivers |
Passengers |
Total
occupants |
| Persons involved |
14,880 |
9,260 |
24,140 |
| Injured |
2,538 |
1,362 |
3,900 |
| Transported by EMS# |
1,025 |
552 |
1,577 |
| Hospitalized# |
115 |
65 |
180 |
| Hospital days# |
583 |
341 |
924 |
| Hospital charges# |
$1,713,782 |
$919,155 |
$2,632,937 |
| Died |
18 |
17 |
35 |
| Years of potential life
lost |
1,027 |
980 |
2,007 |
# Represents linked records only and may
underestimate actual counts. |
Compared to older drivers, young drivers had higher rates
of crash occurrence, hospitalization and cost. If young drivers
had the same driving experience as older drivers, the potential
reduction in medical cost (based on inpatient charges) would have
been $1.8 million, or a 70 percent reduction.
Young drivers accounted for 12 percent of the drivers but
28 percent of the medical cost.
Seventy percent of the inpatient medical cost for young drivers
was paid for by commercial insurers and HMOs. This potentially represents
a significant cost to Maine employers who cover young drivers either
as employees or dependents under their health plans.
The average young driver hospitalized during 1996 spent 5
days in the hospital at an average charge of $14,900. These figures
do not include the additional costs of physicians bills and follow-up
care.
Passengers occupying vehicles driven by young drivers accounted
for 35 percent of the total hospital costs resulting from these
crashes.
Males drivers had higher crash rates than female drivers,
and young male drivers along with their passengers accounted for
70 percent of the hospital costs for crashes involving drivers age
16-24.
During 1996, 1,132 young drivers were involved in alchol-related
crashes. Their rate of involvement in alcohol-related crashes was
more than two and one-half times that of older drivers. While these
crashes represented only 5 percent of the persons involved in crashes,
they accounted for 33 percent of the hospitalizations and 38 percent
of hospital costs.
For young drivers, alcohol was a factor in 1 in every 3 crashes
that resulted in a death or hospitalization. Alcohol-related crashes
accounted for $1.0 million of the $2.6 million in hospital inpatient
charges incurred by young drivers and their passengers.
Drivers in alcohol-related crashes were also less likely to
have used seat belts.
The Maine CODES Project Advisory Committee:
Maine Health Information Center (report and data preparation)
Office of Data, Research, and Vital Statistics, Bureau of Health,
Maine Department of Human Services (project coordinator)
Maine Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Highway Safety
Maine Department of Public Safety, Emergency Medical Services
Maine Department of Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Maine Department of Transportation
Childhood Injury Prevention and Control, Department of Human Services
Physicians from Maine Medical Center and Eastern Maine Medical Center
Supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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