Teen Driver Accidents: The Facts and Statistics (Pt. 1)

In light of the recent National Teen Driver Safety Week, we think it would be a good time to highlight some interesting – and tragic – facts regarding the incidence and causes of teen driver accidents in the U.S. While this information about teen driver accidents may be distressing for parents of teen motorists, it’s also crucial to pinpointing ways to start reducing these accidents to make the roads safer and to save lives.

Teen Driver Accidents: Here’s What You Should Know…

1. Distracted teen motorists are responsible for causing about 10 percent of all fatal teen driver accidents.

While any number of different things may divert teen motorists’ attention from the task of driving, the number one cause of distracted driving among teen drivers these days is use of cellphones, including texting while driving. In fact, the numbers regarding texting while driving are harrowing. As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports:

• About 13 percent of drivers younger than 20 years old admit to having been using their cellphones immediately before car wrecks.
• Teen drivers who text while driving spend about 10 percent of their time behind the wheel driving outside of their lane of traffic.
• Every day, 11 teenagers in the U.S. die in an accident that involved at least one motorist texting while driving.

2. Teen driver accidents are more likely to occur when the passengers are also teenagers.

Interestingly, when teen motorists drive their teenage friends around, the risk of distraction and a car accident shoots up considerably. In fact, as the NHTSA reports, teen driver accidents are about 2.5 times more likely to occur when even just one teen passenger is in the vehicle. In the event that two or more teen passengers are riding with teen motorists, the risk of teen driver accidents increases by more than three times.

Although many states have graduated driver licensing laws that restrict (or possibly even prohibit) new teen drivers from driving only with other teens in the vehicle, it’s also important for parents to enforce this to ensure that:

• New teen drivers have limited distractions as they get used to being behind the wheel.
• New teen drivers are compliant with all traffic laws.
• There is minimal risk of teen driver accidents.

For more important information about teen driver accidents, be sure to look for the upcoming second and third parts of this blog series!

Colorado Springs Car Accident Lawyer at Shakeshaft and Gorman Law Firm, P.C.

Have you or a loved one been hurt in a car accident? If so, Colorado Springs Car Accident Attorney Kenneth Shakeshaft is ready to advocate your rights, help you recover financially and ultimately help you put your life back together.

Let’s meet to talk about your case and your rights. You can schedule a free initial consultation with us by calling (719) 635-5886 or (800) 383-5886. You can also email us using the contact form on this page. We don’t get paid unless or until you get paid, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by contacting us today.

From our offices in Colorado Springs, we serve people throughout Colorado, including people in the Denver metro area, El Paso County, the Pike’s Peak Region, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Castle Rock, Fort Collins, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, and Grand Junction.

Categories: Blog, Car Accidents, Teen Drivers