Among Those Killed Teenage Drivers

Accidents involving teen drivers are frequent themes in their parent's nightmares – for good reason. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the The states.

While drivers betwixt the ages of 15-twenty business relationship for only 5.four percent of all drivers in the United states, this same group of teens business relationship for more than than twice that percentage of drivers involved in police-reported motor vehicle crashes. Co-ordinate to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2016, there were ii,433 teen fatalities as a direct result of traffic accidents – that's six teens a day. During that same year, there were 292,742 emergency department visits by teens for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes.

If you're a parent of a teenager, how can you prevent the nightmares?

Leading Causes of Accidents Involving Teen Drivers

The CDC lists the following factors as leading causes of crashes among teen drivers:

Inexperience: Crash rates are especially loftier among teens within the kickoff months of receiving their driver's license. Studies have shown that younger drivers are more likely to underestimate hazardous situations and make poor disquisitional decisions than any other age group of drivers.
Not wearing a seat chugalug: Teens accept among the lowest rates of seat belt use. Only 59% report that they consistently use seat belts. This is specially dangerous when combined with other take a chance factors, such as drinking. In 2016, of the teen drivers killed in DUI crashes, 58 per centum were not wearing a seat belt.
Driving recklessly or speeding: Male drivers are more than likely to be involved in speed-related crashes. In 2016, 32 percent of male teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time. Teen drivers are likewise more than likely to tailgate (follow the car in front of them too closely).
Distraction and peer pressure from teen passengers: Research from the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety revealed that crash fatalities increase 51 percent when an unsupervised teen driver and passengers are in the automobile. The more teens in the car, the higher the chance.
Other distracted driving behaviors like texting, talking on the phone, eating, applying makeup, or changing radio stations are mutual risk factors for accidents involving teen drivers.
Driving at night/while drowsy: About half of all teen fatalities from motor vehicle accidents are from crashes that occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight.
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs: In a 2017 national survey, sixteen.v percent of high school students said that, within the past calendar month, they had been a passenger in a car driven past someone who had just consumed booze. Of those aforementioned students with a commuter'due south license, five.five% reported that they were the drivers who had been drinking. And this beliefs has proved to be deadly: 15 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal car accidents in 2016 had an illegally high blood alcohol content (.08% or higher).

accidents involving teen drivers - risky driving

Reducing the Risks of Accidents Involving Teen Drivers

There are several ways to subtract the above risk factors, and many resources to help parents accost them.

Graduated Driving Laws

Currently, all U.S. states and Washington, D.C. have graduated driving laws (GDL) to help teen drivers build driving skills while supervised by adults. While the requirements vary from state to state, most include longer practice fourth dimension, limits on nighttime driving and driving in other loftier-risk weather condition, and greater participation by parents or legal guardians. Almost programs include:

A learner phase, in which the driving student is a permit holder and must complete a sure number of supervised driving hours; and
An intermediate stage, which limits unsupervised driving at nighttime or in high risk situations, and may restrict the number of passengers while the driver is unsupervised – this phase may last until the driver is a certain age or for a specified number of months; and
The last, total-privilege standard driver's license.

Most states also ban cell phones or texting by new or intermediate drivers.

According to the Insurance Constitute for Highway Safety (IHHS), these laws have essentially reduced teen accidents. Other enquiry suggests that GDL programs have reduced overall teen crashes past 16 to 22 pct, and fatal crashes past 26 to 41 percent.

Parent Involvement

You can acquire more than well-nigh your country'southward GDLs here. The best thing parents can do to go along their teens safe is to enforce these laws. The CDC also offers a planning guide to help your teen driver brand the most of the GDL learning period.

Hither are some boosted ideas to reduce other risks of accidents involving teens:

Consider a parent-teen driving agreement, and consequences (such as restricting driving privileges) for breaking the agreement. Include things like seat belt use, safe driving practices and hours, rider restrictions, and goose egg tolerance for driving under the influence.
Never drink and drive yourself – with the ease and admission to services like Uber and Lyft, there is no reason or excuse to practice so.
Make sure your teens have an alternative to driving under the influence: Clinch them that you would much rather have them call yous, or utilize your Uber/Lyft business relationship for a ride habitation than go far the car after drinking, or with a driver who has been drinking.
E'er habiliment your seat chugalug, and require that all passengers in your automobile article of clothing them likewise.
Be a prophylactic driver, and part-model driving behavior you want your teen to employ. For example, don't utilise your prison cell phone or text while driving; maintain the speed limit and safe distances between cars.
Limit nighttime driving and teen passengers for your teen driver.

accidents involving teen drivers - safe driving

Other Victims of Accidents Involving Teen Drivers

Of course, the teens themselves are not the but people at hazard from accidents acquired past teen drivers. Dangerous drivers put everyone on the route at risk.
Co-ordinate to AAA research, the majority of people killed in teen driver crashes are other road users: occupants of other vehicles, or pedestrians or cyclists. Between 2013 and 2017, teen drivers killed almost iii,500 people. Fatality rates increase when teen drivers engage in risky behavior, such every bit driving with other teen passengers, speeding, or driving at night.

If you are a teen driver, or the parent of a teen commuter, do everything you can to reduce your risk of an accident — both for yourself or your child, as well as everyone else on the route.

If you have been seriously injured—or a loved one has been killed—in an accident involving a teen driver, information technology's in your best involvement to retain a lawyer as soon as possible. Your law firm can conduct a full investigation, and deal with the insurance companies, and then you can focus on your recovery.
TorkLaw tin help.

Call now for a free consultation with 1 of TorkLaw's experienced accident attorneys: (888) 845-9696.