why teen drivers go splat so much

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419190032.htm

Scanning involves observing the surroundings far ahead of the vehicle and side-to-side, not just immediately in front of the hood. It is a higher-level skill that experienced drivers develop over time. The study authors note that developing effective ways to teach this skill sooner in the learning-to-drive process could reduce teen crash risk. Pilot tests of this type of training have shown promise in increasing hazard detection and response skills among novice drivers.

By getting very specific about the types of teen driver errors that are most likely to precede a crash, this study makes it possible to target policies, programs, driver education and other strategies to reduce those critical errors and prevent crashes from happening.

Among crashes with a teen driver error:

• Twenty-one percent occurred due to lack of scanning that is needed to detect and respond to hazards.
• Twenty-one percent occurred due to going too fast for road conditions, (for example, driving too fast to respond to others, or to successfully navigate a curve).
• Twenty percent occurred due to being distracted by something inside or outside the vehicle.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100609083225.htm

D; and another reason to start high school student after the primary school kids.
Besides grades.

Results indicate that in 2008 the teen crash rate was about 41 percent higher in Virginia Beach, Va., where high school classes began at 7:20 a.m., than in adjacent Chesapeake, Va., where classes started more than an hour later at 8:40 a.m. There were 65.4 automobile crashes for every 1,000 teen drivers in Virginia Beach, and 46.2 crashes for every 1,000 teen drivers in Chesapeake.

"We were concerned that Virginia Beach teens might be sleep restricted due to their early rise times and that this could eventuate in an increased crash rate," said lead author Robert Vorona, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va. "The study supported our hypothesis, but it is important to note that this is an association study and does not prove cause and effect."

speed linked to fuel mileage, accident survival

http://autos.aol.com/article/texas-speed-limit-gas-mileage/

Further evidence comes from a recent study that showed even a small reduction in speed can have a big impact on lives saved. In the report, published in the Transportation Research Record, author Rune Elvik found that a 1 percent decrease in travel speed reduces injury crashes by about 2 percent, serious injury crashes by about 3 percent and fatal crashes by about 4 percent. These reductions are critically needed, traffic safety experts say, as speeding remains a serious highway safety problem. Nearly 13,500 people died in speed-related crashes in 2006.

Drivers can assume that each 5 MPH they drive above 60 MPH, according to the Governor's Highway Safety Association (GHSA), is like paying an additional 20 cents a gallon for gas. Additionally, aggressive highway behavior such as speeding, rapid acceleration and braking can lower gas mileage by a whopping 33% at highway speeds and 5% around town.

"But today, it's always hurry, hurry, hurry everywhere you go. Everybody's gotta be there yesterday, and if you do the legal speed limit of 55 or 60 MPH, people tailgate you or beep their horn. You can't obey the law even if you want to without getting grief on the highway."

vehicle pollution causes brain damage

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110407092028.htm

If mice commuted, their brains might find it progressively harder to navigate the maze of Los Angeles freeways. A new study reveals that after short-term exposure to vehicle pollution, mice showed significant brain damage -- including signs associated with memory loss and Alzheimer's disease.

The authors found a way to recreate air laden with freeway particulate matter inside the laboratory. Whether in a test tube or in live mice, brain cells showed similar responses:

• Neurons involved in learning and memory showed significant damage,
• The brain showed signs of inflammation associated with premature aging and Alzheimer's disease,
• Neurons from developing mice did not grow as well.

The freeway particles measured between a few dozen to 200 nanometers -- roughly one-thousandth the width of a human hair, and too small for car filtration systems to trap.

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D - maybe we will find that our transportation is an important contributor to old age dementia?

So does a sedan for every home still look 'cheap'?

Aside - I drive a subcompact car to work, and hope to start bicycling some soon.

I hypermile and drive like a granny - other than going 10kph over the speed limit.
LOL and better not go any slower or I'd cause road rage.
I ponder that the few bad 'indy 500' drivers pay less for gas than I do.
Otherwise, they'd just be plain foolish.