National Young Driver Survey

In 2006, the National Young Driver Survey (NYDS) was created to help the Teen Driving Safety Research team at CIRP better understand how teens perceive and experience driving. Using the Teen-Centered Method, 45 focus groups were conducted with teens across the country to determine survey questions that would be relevant to teens.

The National Young Driver Survey was distributed to 5,665 9th through 11th graders in 68 randomly selected high schools. In each high school, one 9th grade classroom, two 10th grade classrooms and one 11th grade classroom were chosen to create the sample. The NYDS asked the survey participants varied driving related and demographic questions to discover their views on driving, both personal and in relation to friends and family.

The weighted data from the survey was representative of all 10.2 million public school students in 9th through 11th grades in the U.S. This landmark study was the most comprehensive description of youth perceptions of teen driving ever created.

Funded by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, CIRP published 10 research papers in the scientific literature and three research reports using NYDS data. Insights learned from the survey helped the Teen Driving Safety team at CIRP determine future lines of research that would contribute most and have the greatest impact on teen driver safety.

Research Using the National Young Driver Survey

Read the National Young Driver Survey Research Reports

• Driving: Through the Eyes of Teens
• Driving Through the Eyes of Teens, A Closer Look 
• Parents Teaching Teens to Drive: The Adolescent Perspective

Read the Study Abstracts Using National Young Driver Survey Data

• Variation in Teen Driver Education by State Requirements and Sociodemographics. Pediatrics. March 2012
• Determining Subgroups of Teens for Targeted Driving Injury Prevention Strategies: A Latest Class Analysis Approach. Traffic Injury Prevention. December 2011.
• Safety Belt Laws and Disparities in Safety Belt Use Among US High School Drivers. American Journal of Public Health. June 2012.
• Adolescent Drivers' Perceptions of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Abstention From In-Vehicle Cell Phone Use.  Accident Analysis and Prevention. October 2010.
• Teen Perceptions of Good Drivers and Safe Drivers: Implications for Reaching Adolescents. Injury Prevention. February 2009.
• Primary Versus Shared Access to Vehicles and Its Association With Risky Teen Driving Behavior and Crashes: A National Perspective. Pediatrics. October 2009.
• Associations Between Parenting Style and Teen Driving Safety-related Behaviors and Attitudes. Pediatrics. October 2009.
• Unlicensed Teenaged Drivers: Who Are They, and How Do They Behave When They Are Behind the Wheel? Pediatrics. November 2008.
• National Young Driver Survey: Teen Perspective and Experience With Factors That Affect Driving Safety. Pediatrics. May 2008.
• Teen Driver Crash Risk and Associations With Smoking and Drowsy Driving. Accident Analysis and Prevention. May 2008.