PHOENIX — It was a deadly, devastating crash that claimed lives that were just getting started.
Earlier this year, three teens were killed in the East Valley after a crash with a 16-year-old behind the wheel. It was rainy and dark when Mesa police said a teenager lost control of the car and crashed into a light pole near Ellsworth and Guadalupe roads. The four people in the car were all teen girls between 14 and 17 years old.
There were a handful of factors that made this scenario a dangerous one, including the number of people inside the vehicle.
ABC15 received this email to our Operation Safe Roads that asked, "Don't you think that 16 years old is too young to be driving with minor passengers?"
"Distractions, obviously, something we talk about and when you use that word most of the time, what it invokes in people is texting and driving, but it's far... it's much more than that," said Maria Wojtczak.
Wojtczak owns DrivingMBA in the Valley, which works to train novice drivers to safely navigate our roadways.
"You add one additional driver to a novice driver's car, the likelihood of them being involved in a fatal car crash jumps by 50%," Wojtczak explained.
We sat down with Wojtczak to ask that viewer question and find the answer.
"The graduated driver's license law here in the state of Arizona, it requires them, they can have one friend in the vehicle right after licensing, but it's only good for six months," Wojtczak said.
Another thing to note: siblings do not count. So, the law is there but it is not enough.
"In my coaching class that I do with parents, I'll ask them, 'Do you really want your entire family in your novice driver's car?' Which makes them stop and think," Wojtczak said.
She insists parents continue to get into the car with their teens, even after they get that license and can legally drive on their own.
Have a road issue or a question for Operation Safe Roads? Call 833-AZ-ROADS or email roads@abc15.com