It's no secret that teen drivers are at greater risk for accidents than older adults — four times greater, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Chalk it up to a number of factors, among them inexperience dealing with emergency situations, distracted driving and the inclination to show off to friends.

First time drivers are imbued with a new sense of freedom. They no longer have to rely on parents or friends to drive them from point A to point B but are now able to drive themselves from A to B and beyond. Being newly accustomed to this freedom, new drivers ignore there inexperience in many aspects of driving. No matter how well they pass the driving test, the real test is getting on the road for the first time alone with other drivers. New drivers, especially teenagers, are notorious for making mistakes while driving. While some can and should be avoided, others result from naivety and a lack of awareness. The most common mistakes are easily corrected, but can also be the deadliest and should be addressed as soon as the driver or anyone notices that they are being made. Common mistakes include such things as being distracted while at the wheel. This is extremely dangerous and can result in serious, and even fatal, accidents. Distractions come from many areas: sights on the side of the road, changing the radio dial, and in this modern day, cell phones and text messaging. New drivers need to understand how crucial it is to keep their attention on driving and not such frivolous activities as talking on the phone or changing the radio.

Speeding
It is now a known fact that teens, more than any other type of drivers, tend to speed. This leads to the next obvious statistic that most accidents that stem from speeding involve teens. This is the main reason for most states today, employing a graduation system for issuing a driving license.

Driving Under the Influence

An annual study by the University of Michigan and NIDA reported that, in 2008, 43 percent of high school seniors surveyed said they drank alcohol in the past month. When teens drink and drive, they're even less likely to practice safe habits like seat belt usage: Of the 15- to 20-year-olds killed after drinking and driving in 2003, 74 percent were unrestrained, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"This is a huge problem," Tsifrin said. "Because they're too young to drink legally ... they're also less likely to call their parents to come and get them. It's more likely for a 22-year-old to call their parents and tell them to pick them up."

Of course, alcohol isn't the only influence: A 2007 State Farm/CHOP survey found that 38 percent of teens reported seeing other teens drive high. A study in 1999 by NHTSA and Maastricht University in the Netherlands found that after low doses of marijuana, reaction times worsened by 0.9 seconds when moving at 59 mph in test conditions. That translates to an extra 78 feet of travel. With both alcohol and marijuana, reaction times were 1.6 seconds, or 139 feet, worse.      

Not Wearing a Seat belt

Whether it's because of automatic seat belts or the fear of getting a ticket, more and more drivers are now wearing seat belts, according to a report in 2008, that showed the increase in seat belt usage. There are still however, a lot of new drivers that refuse to use a seat belt. The biggest reason for that is the need to look good and to prove they can do things their way. The age bracket of 17 to 21 contains new drivers that wear seat belts the least.

Panic

Most new drivers are bad at handling extreme situations. It's the kind of thing that comes with experience, both on the road and with your own car. Which is why teens, even if the accident isn't really their fault, tend to get dragged into it because of their lack of judgment.

Taking Risks

Ignorance, impulsive behavior and an irritated mind set, all augmented with a low sense of rationality, causes most young drivers to keep breaking road rules. Not stopping at the stop sign, callously taking hard-edged turns or breaking the signal are some of the things that will get you killed on the road.

Certainly there are other common mistakes that new drivers make. It is important to understand that driving can be dangerous if not taken seriously. Experience will clean up most of the rough edges, but other mistakes made out of ignorance and even stupidity can result in injury, or worse, so correcting them is a top priority.