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Teen drivers enhance risk of personal injury and death in summer

On Behalf of | Jun 19, 2019 | personal injury |

The roads in Maryland and across the nation can be treacherous at any time of year, but there are certain months when that danger is exacerbated by circumstances. One such time is the summer. A significant factor in the enhanced risk is the number of teens who are on the road. Often, these crashes are because they were behaving in ways that increase the chances of an accident. It is important to know what must be done in the aftermath of these incidents.

The time from Memorial Day to Labor Day is referred to as the “100 Deadliest Days” because of the number of auto accidents there are. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released the worrisome statistics for this time-period. According to them, the fatalities from auto accidents in which teen drivers were involved increases by 17% daily when compared with the rest of the year. In the last five years, there were almost 3,500 deaths in accidents with teen drivers in those 100 days. Roughly two-thirds of those hurt or killed were not the teen driver.

There are certain factors that are known to be problematic with teen drivers and cause personal injury and death. They are speeding, driving while impaired and distracted driving. If the driver was moving at excessive speed, it makes the accident worse. In 28% of the fatal accidents, speed was a factor. Half of the teens who took part in a survey admitted that they had driven at excessive speed in a residential area in the previous month. 40% admitted to doing so on the highway.

Impairment was also a major problem. This was shown in 17% of teen driver fatal accidents. One in six teens who were in a fatal accident had alcohol in their system. Distracted driving is a growing issue across the spectrum with it being a factor in 9% of fatal accidents. 52% of teens admitted to reading texts or emails when driving. 40% admitted to sending them.

Parents are encouraged to discuss safe driving with their teens. Unfortunately, many teens do not listen to parents or anyone else about the dangers of personal injury and fatalities when in a motor vehicle. Given these statistics, people who are sharing the road with teen drivers should know what they are facing. If there is an accident, there will be medical costs, lost income, funeral costs and the emotional impact of a lost loved one. Having legal assistance with a personal injury claim is vital to investigating the case and recovering compensation in a lawsuit. This helps ensure you are well aware of your rights and the proper steps are taken to protect them.

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