teenage drivers

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Teen Driver's Parents Sentenced After Crash Kills Passenger

14-year-old girl was killed in 2023 tragedy

(Newser) - In May of 2023, a 16-year-old Queens boy allegedly caused a high-speed crash in his parents' BMW that left his 14-year-old passenger dead. And on Monday, his parents were sentenced for their role in the tragedy. Sean Smith, 40, and Deo Ramnarine, 43, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of...

Cops: He Hit 2 Cyclists, Then Made the Next Hit a Fatal One

Juvenile in Huntington Beach, California, charged with homicide after 70-year-old cyclist died

(Newser) - A juvenile driver in Huntington Beach, California, is accused of running down three cyclists within 45 minutes on Sunday, killing one. The cyclists were struck in separate incidents less than a mile apart, KTLA reports. The first incident occurred around 10pm when a cyclist was struck in a crosswalk by...

Aussie PM's Idea Involving Kids, Forklifts Doesn't Go Over Well

Scott Morrison has nixed the proposal to alleviate labor shortage after backlash

(Newser) - In the US, we've got teens driving big rigs . On the other side of the world, the Australian government briefly mulled having more teens do their part by operating forklifts—a suggestion that's since been walked back after backlash from local leaders. Per ABC Australia , Prime Minister Scott...

Witness: Teen Driver Tried to 'Smoke' Cyclists, Hit 6

Male accused of 'rolling coal' has not been charged

(Newser) - Authorities in Texas say a teenager intending to blow exhaust from his diesel pickup truck into the path of cyclists instead slammed into them. Four of six injured cyclists were rushed to hospitals following the Saturday morning incident in Waller County outside Houston, per KTRK . Chase Ferrell tells KRIV that...

In Georgia, 20K New Drivers Never Took a Road Test
Petition Slams
State's New Driving
Rule: This Can
Turn 'Catastrophic'
in case you missed it

Petition Slams State's New Driving Rule: This Can Turn 'Catastrophic'

Georgia sees nearly 20K teens who just got their licenses without having to take a road test

(Newser) - Lots of excited young people have taken one state up on its offer to get behind the wheel during the coronavirus pandemic— almost 20,000 , to be exact. That's how many new under-20 drivers there have been in Georgia over the past two weeks after Gov. Brian Kemp issued...

Teen Gets License, Loses It 49 Minutes Later

Congrats?

(Newser) - In what's sure to be some kind of record, a teen in Germany managed to lose his driver's license a mere 49 minutes after getting it. Traveling with four friends he might've been trying to impress, the 18-year-old was returning from his successful driving test when he...

Teen Hits Gas Instead of Brake, Drives Off Parking Garage

Young Houston driver escaped with just minor injuries after car fell 7 stories

(Newser) - A Houston-area teen may not feel like watching any of the Fast & Furious franchise after his quick-but-terrifying experience at a local parking garage over the weekend. Firefighters tell KHOU it appears the teen mistakenly accelerated instead of stepping on the brake while on the roof of the garage, sending...

When School Starts Earlier, Teen Car Crashes Rise

Study compares accidents in 2 similar counties

(Newser) - School start times may be more than just annoying for teenagers: They could actually be dangerous, a study reported in the New York Times suggests. Researchers studying two demographically similar counties in Virginia found that crash rates among 16- to 18-year-olds were higher in the county where teens must wake...

2 More Teen Crashes Bring Toll to 15 Since Sunday

Girl in Ohio accident that killed 6 had no license

(Newser) - The young woman driving the SUV that crashed into a pond Sunday in Ohio, leaving six teens dead, did not have a driver's license, reports AP . And based on accounts from the two male survivors, police say Alexis Cayson was driving way too fast on a curvy road with...

Traffic Deaths Spike for Teen Drivers

Fatalities for those ages 16, 17 rise 19%

(Newser) - An improving economy means more cars on the road, and traffic safety officials expected the number of deaths among young drivers to increase as a result. But not this much: The number of 16- and 17-year-old drivers killed in traffic accidents jumped 19% in the first six months of 2012,...

Designated Driver, Make Room for 'Designated Texter'

Survey on teen safety coins a phrase

(Newser) - The bad news from a new State Farm survey is that a third of teen drivers admit to sending or reading texts while driving. The good news is that teens in general seem to have a greater awareness of the danger, with four of five saying they had scolded a...

App Lets You Judge Teen Driving

But critics say it encourages texting behind the wheel

(Newser) - Ever sit up wondering about your teenage kid's driving? A Florida dad has designed an app that may allay your fears, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Called howismykiddriving.co , its $15 membership ($10 after the first year) comes with a bumper sticker to put on your teen's car: "How...

4th of July Deadliest Day on US Roads

Teens make up 10% of day's traffic deaths, AAA warns

(Newser) - Independence Day is no time to forget about road safety, AAA warns. Today is the deadliest day of the year for American drivers, with an average 140 fatalities, and teenage drivers and their passengers account for nearly a tenth of those deaths, reports the Los Angeles Times . Road deaths in...

Dead Teens' Final Texts Star in New Ad Campaign
Dead Teens' Final Texts Star in New Ad Campaign
don't text and drive

Dead Teens' Final Texts Star in New Ad Campaign

Campaign pushes to stop texting while behind the wheel

(Newser) - "No text is worth dying over" is the message of a new campaign to stop young drivers from texting behind the wheel. The campaign, being launched today by AT&T, features parents of teenagers who died texting, like 18-year-old Mariah West, who flipped her car into oncoming traffic while...

Teens Cop to Texting and Driving—But Say Dad's Worse

No age limit for bad behavior behind wheel

(Newser) - One-third of 16- and 17-year-olds say they have written text messages while behind the wheel. Despite that, young drivers are actually more responsible than many adults: 48% of respondents aged 12 to 17 say they’ve been in the car with a driver who was texting. One boy said his...

Experts Doubt Gory Crash Video Will Trim Teen Texting

(Newser) - A horrifying car crash video graphically highlighting the gory dangers of texting behind the wheel has been viewed some 4 million times online. But experts doubt that it will significantly change teen driver behavior, reports the New York Times. The video-gone-viral has been the buzz of schools since it was...

Let's Teach Teens How to Drink (Wisely)
 Let's Teach Teens 
 How to Drink (Wisely) 
OPINION

Let's Teach Teens How to Drink (Wisely)

(Newser) - It's time to stop treating underage drinking like a joke—5,000 deaths and 100,000 sexual assaults a year should make that clear—and give states the freedom to get creative with their laws, writes John McCardell in the Atlantic. The federal age-21 restriction only pushes the drinking underground...

Webcam on Board, Teen Drivers on Alert

Mom and Dad monitor kids' driving, hoping for more road safety

(Newser) - If a pilot program sees good results, teen drivers may soon find themselves under surveillance, reports the Washington Post. Parents in southern Maryland find the new webcam system, which records possible unsafe driving practices, a useful tool. Their offspring, however, aren't thrilled at the prospect of losing one of their...

Time to Raise Driving Age?
 Time to Raise Driving Age?

Time to Raise Driving Age?

(Newser) - Is 16 too young to drive? A safety group today began a push to encourage states to follow the lead of Japan, China, Russia, and most of Europe by raising the legal age to 18, the Detroit Free Press reports. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for youths...

High Gas Prices Mean Fewer Traffic Deaths

People are changing where, when, and how they drive

(Newser) - The number of traffic deaths may drop this year to their lowest since Kennedy was president—thanks in large part to higher gas prices, the AP reports. As they rose above $3.20 a gallon, fatalities plummeted 22.1% in March and 17.9% in April, a study found. The...

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