In America, teenagers constitute the highest risk category when it comes to road accidents. Teen drivers are four times more vulnerable to casualties than any other age group. The main reason for this is that teenagers tend to not follow the law; they are unskilled and inexperienced drivers and are inclined to behave recklessly. There are various other reasons for car accidents as well. Let us quickly look at some facts:

• Every year over 5,000 teenagers between the age group of 16 to 20 die due to car accidents;
• Teenagers comprising 10% of the American population and account for 12% of all fatal crashes;
• The 16-19 year old drivers comprise the highest risk in terms of people involved in car accidents;
• In the US, about $26 billion is spent every year on drivers involved in accidents, male and female, aged under 24 years;
• Of all fatal teen car accidents in 2007, one third were due to speed related collisions and one quarter due to driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs;
• Around 53% of all fatal accidents involving a teenager happened on a weekend (between 9 PM to 6 AM);and
• In 2007, every 2 out of 3 teenagers killed in a motor vehicle crash was male.

Why do fatal crashes happen?

Car accidents cause tremendous loss of property and life, apart from having a huge emotional impact. Thoughtlessness, unsafe driving and negligence are the primary reasons for fatal accidents among teenagers. The most common reasons for crashes are:

• Speeding - Teenagers tend to drive over the speed limit;
• Lost control - These are high speed crashes where a driver has lost control over the vehicle;
• Substance/alcohol abuse - In 2007, around 29% of males and 15% of females who were fatally injured had high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels;
• Low vision - Driving at night is a high risk activity for a teenager. Night driving can be twice as risky as driving during the day;
• Lack of safety measures - Two-thirds of the teenagers who died in 2007 did not wear seat belts;
• Defective airbags - There are times when the advanced frontal air bags meant to safeguard a driver’s life fail to protect;
• Faulty seat belts - There have been incidents reported where the seat belts did not buckle or latch properly;
• Faulty brakes - There are times when brakes of the vehicle did not work for technical reasons or simply failed;
• Cell phone usage and driving- Texting and/or using mobile phones while driving can be fatal;
• Tire malfunction - Under-inflation of tires is the most common cause of accidents;

How can accidents be prevented?

Responsible driving is something that needs to be instilled among teenage drivers. This can only happen if the parents guide their children to follow traffic rules. Tougher laws, such as for drinking and driving, should be enforced strictly.

What to do in case affected?

Thousands of Americans are left with incapacitating injuries each year after traffic accidents; some of them need permanent rehabilitative therapies. One should contact an experience personal injury lawyer in case of an accident that has occurred due to negligence or someone else’s fault, in order to recover lost wages, medical expenses and other costs.

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