Tragic stories about youths dying as a result of drug and alcohol abuse, gun violence, and gang activity are prevalent. However, a less known fact is that automobile accidents kill more youths than any other cause. Reporter Tod Olson claims that such fatalities are “the latest teen crisis.” According to Olson, from 1991 to 2001, “60,000 kids have died on the road. That’s about 3,000 more Americans than were killed in the Vietnam War in the same length of time.” The American Automobile Association reports that while youths account for only 7 percent of licensed drivers, they are involved in 20 percent of reported traffic accidents.

Although some youth-related automobile fatalities involve the use of drugs and alcohol, commentators lay the blame on youths’ impulsive and inexperienced driving, citing countless examples of deadly joyrides and street racing crashes. Hoping...