Teenage drivers -- both boys and girls -- were more likely to tailgate and exceed the speed limit if there was a teenage male passenger in the front seat. Conversely, male teenagers were less likely to tailgate or exceed the speed limit when a teenage female was in the front passenger seat. In addition, female teen drivers were slightly more likely to tailgate if there was a female teen passenger in the vehicle with them.

With a male passenger present, one-fourth of teenage drivers exceeded the speed limit by at least 15 mph (versus less than 10 percent of general traffic).

No question: speeding and tailgating are both risky behaviors. Researchers were not able to explain why having a male in the front passenger seat had such an impact.  What do you think?

Dr. Alexander sums up the study by saying, "the finding should remind teens -- and the adults who care about them -- that they need to drive safely, regardless of who is in the passenger seat."

Read the entire article here.