by KYW's John Ostapkovich

The carnage and heartache from accidents involving teenaged drivers may be worse this time of year, with proms and graduations, but research shows that, in many respects, it's simply a risky time of life.

Temple University psychology professor Laurence Streinberg's research finds that teen and adult brains show markedly different responses to risk taking, especially among groups of boys.

One experiment, a video driving game, measures responses to yellow traffic lights. Teen boys in the company of other teens are more likely to floor it through:

"We do see this increase in risk-taking behavior on all kinds of different tests, not just the driving test, when there are other kids in the room. What we don't know and what we're working on right now is understanding what is happening in the brain that accounts for this."

Dr. Steinberg's advice to parents: keep the newest drivers riding with the fewest friends, for all of their sakes.