Teenage Drivers in Accidents

A first-ever analysis from AAA finds that crashes involving teen drivers ages 15 to 17 cost American society more than $34 billion annually in medical expenses, lost work, property damage, quality of life loss and other related costs in 2006. If you are a teenager involved in an automobile accident, or if you are the victim of a negligent teenage driver, consult William Muhr, LLP immediately.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for United States teenagers, accounting for more than one-in-three teen wrongful deaths. The risk of auto accidents is higher among 16-to-19 year old teenage drivers than among any other age group. Per mile driven, teenage drivers are four times more likely to get into a car accident than any older car driver.  In the year 2006, this percentage correlated into over six-thousand dead teenagers on America’s roadways, not to mention the staggeringly higher number injured teens as well. 

Teen drivers are inexperienced, and it clearly shows in the car accident statistics. There are several reasons why inexperience causes more car accidents and wrongful deaths.

• Teenage drivers are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or are simply unable to recognize them.
• Teenage drivers are more likely to speed and tailgate (follow too closely to other drivers).
• Teenage drivers are also the age group most likely not to wear a seat belt, which make their injuries and death totals in car accidents far worse.
• Teenage drivers are also more likely to drink and drive (DUI).

In all, teen drivers’ inexperience leads to poor decision making and a greater chance of car accidents. This problem will likely never go away as each year new teenage drivers hit the road. Newly licensed teenage drivers in their first year of driving are also the most likely to be in a car accident. Studies also show that the presence of teenage passengers makes it even more likely for a car accident to occur with a teenage driver, and the risk only increases with more teen passengers.

Among teen drivers, males are the most likely to cause a car accident. The death rate in car accidents for male teen drivers is one and half times that of female teenage drivers. They are also more likely to drink, speed and not wear their seat belt than their female counterparts.

Some states have graduated driver licensing programs (GDL). GDL systems are designed to delay full licenses for first-time drivers while allowing teenage drivers to gain driving experience in low-risk conditions. Here are some of the programs in GDL systems:

• First-year teenage drivers are forbidden from driving with more than one other teenaged passenger.
• First-year teen drivers cannot drive after midnight.
• First-year teenage drivers often start with points on their licenses in areas where there is a point system.

These programs have led to a 38% reduction in fatal car accidents and 40% less injury-causing auto accidents. Unfortunately, not all states employ GDL programs.

Parents or legal guardians of teenage drivers need to make sure that they teach and practice proper driving techniques. Children should learn from a very young age the correct manner in which they should handle themselves on the roadways. If teenagers spent their formative years learning and observing safe driving techniques, then they would be more likely to practice those techniques themselves. When a teenager shows that he or she is not driving safely, then it is up to a parent to take away that privilege.

Get in touch with an Auto Accident Attorney Now!

Our firm, William Muhr, LLP, has over 20 years’ experience handling personal injury cases due to car, truck, and motorcycle accidents and aviation disasters. Allow us to help you. Our experienced, qualified accident lawyers are ready to handle your accident situation. Call 800-934-4529 for a consultation with an experienced accident lawyer.

We assign a highly qualified accident lawyer immediately to handle your case. We want you to focus on getting well and let us handle the legal aspects of your suffering.

Once you retain us to represent you, we provide you with 24-hour access to your accident lawyer and review your file with you every 60 days. We help create the means to pay your accident-related medical bills. We support you in every way until your case is concluded.