It’s the time of the year teenagers look forward to… finals have been taken, yearbooks have been signed, promises have been made to get together during the summer and high school is over. Most graduates also know that college lies ahead. Many decide that this is the time to let their hair down and have some fun. Since each attorney in this office has teenagers we wanted to share some sobering facts about teens, driving and summer.
Numerous studies show that teenagers, especially those between the ages of 16 and 19 are at high risk when it comes to motor vehicle accidents. Teenagers between 16 & 19 drive fewer miles than those who are older which is remarkable given the number of crashes and deaths involving their age group.
Traffic facts from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or IIHS reveal that teens aged 16 to 19 years old have the absolute highest fatal crash risk. When you break that down into the fatal crash rate per mile driven, this group is more likely to die in a car accident at a rate of three times the rate for drivers aged 20 years or older. Also, the number one cause of death for this same age group is traffic accident.
The reality is that a certain portion of teenagers are risk takers and whenever you combine freedom with a car and who knows what else, it presents problems. We have actually had teenagers tell us that they will be better than average drivers based on time spent playing video games where driving is how the game is played. We haven’t seen any evidence that this is real for anyone.
Severe lack of experience injures and kills too many teenagers. Some adults and most teenagers have never even mastered the basic skills needed for driving safely and when you combine that with a daredevil personality you have a recipe for disaster. Some teen drivers are out to impress people and when they drive they overestimate their ability to drive and risk dangerous behaviors such as speeding, not respecting red lights or pedestrians, and even ignoring or discounting other vehicles. Additional risk factors include lack of preventive safety, an uncommon aversion to seat belt use, excessive speed, inexperience and an overall lack of respect for driving a car.
If you have been a victim of an accident caused by a teen driver or you have a teenager that has been involved in a traffic accident, you need the advice of an attorney experienced with teen drivers. At Guenard & Bozarth we have the experience you need at this time and each of our Attorneys has teenagers and we understand much of what you are going through. Call our office at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com We Understand & We Can Help!
