You may have heard that teenage drivers are the most likely to be involved in serious and even fatal car accidents. This plays out every year. The reason that teens often have higher insurance premiums, for instance, is that there are years of data showing they crash at a high rate.
Whether you are the parent of a teen driver or just someone who has to share the road with these drivers, you may be wondering why they have such high crash rates. What is it that causes teens to be involved in so many catastrophic accidents?
There are many reasons, some of which work together
It’s not necessarily an easy issue for society to address, as there are numerous reasons why teens crash so often. Some even combined to drastically increase accident odds. A few potential reasons are:
- Teens are more likely to break the speed limit than older drivers.
- Teens tend to leave shorter following distances, which may not be long enough to avoid a crash.
- If a teen and an older driver have both been drinking and have the same BAC, the teen is more likely to crash.
- Teens are inexperienced and may make mistakes that adults tend not to make.
- Teens use their seat belts less often.
- Teens may be more likely to engage in reckless driving or take unneeded risks behind the wheel.
Teen crash rates affect everyone since they can cause severe two-car accidents. The risks are elevated for all drivers. Those who are injured in these accidents may have a right to seek financial compensation.