Teens have the highest fatal accident rate of any age group. There tends to be a greater level of danger for those who have only had their license for months compared to those who have been driving for years.
One of the main reasons for this is that teenage drivers are relatively inexperienced. Everything is new. They still have skills to develop. They have a lot to learn about how to drive safely, how to focus on defensive driving and how to react to changing road conditions.
They certainly can learn a lot from going through a driver’s education program and working with an instructor, but there is no substitute for experience. That is why fatal crash rates tend to drop as drivers get older and spend more time behind the wheel.
The risk is even higher in the summer
During the summer months, researchers find that fatal accidents involving teens also tend to go up. They commonly refer to this as the 100 deadliest days of summer.
The reason is not necessarily that teens are worse drivers over the summer, but simply that they drive more. In this sense, the school year actually helps keep them safe because they spend most of their time in school. Teens have more free time during the summer, they log more miles on the road, and the total number of accidents goes up since they already have the highest fatal accident rate.
Seeking financial compensation
Have you been injured in an accident caused by a teen driver’s negligent mistake? If you have, it is important to know how to seek financial compensation for lost wages, medical bills and more. Please contact our experienced firm today to get started.