New teen drivers pose risks to everyone on the road due to inexperience and immaturity.
Evidence shows that beginner drivers have higher instances of car accidents resulting in personal injury and car accident deaths. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) notes that inexperienced 16 year old drivers have high crash rates per 10,000 drivers in their first few months. Proficient driving comes with a substantial amount of driving experience, and new teen drivers continue to improve within as few as six months of experience behind the wheel.
Car accident lawyers acknowledge getting a driver’s license is an exciting milestone in a teen’s life that impacts everyone. Inexperience is a disadvantage that presents dangerous risks during the initial few months of driving. In 2013, AAA (American Automobile Association) reported that drivers between the ages of 16-19 were involved in 963,000 police reported car accidents. A total of 383,000 personal injuries and 2,865 car accident deaths resulted from those crashes. Sadly, the majority of people killed or injured in teen driver car accidents continues to be people other than teen drivers themselves. Passengers, occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, and other road users can be greatly at risk from teen drivers.
Inexperience, Driver Error and Distracted Driving
Since driving is complicated, awareness is needed to detect and respond to hazards, reaction times are learned, and nighttime driving skills come with experience. Novice teen drivers between the ages of 16-19 have a fatal crash rate that is four times higher at night than during the day, according to IIHS. Driver errors such as speeding, drunk driving, overconfidence, and following too closely contribute to teen car accidents. Impulsive behavior and engaging in secondary acts create distraction for new teen drivers. Anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road for one second is risky for us all, and teenagers are easily distracted while driving with eating, cell phone usage, and passengers in the car. AAA notes that teen driver crash rates increase 44% for each additional passenger in the car.
Unfortunately, new driver mistakes result in deadly consequences. According to AAA, two-thirds of car accident injuries and deaths are not inflicted on the teens behind the wheel. A number of states, have initiated Graduated Driver’s Licensing programs that impose driving restrictions until multiple driving phases have been met by the new driver.
