Teen Driver Car Accidents Statistics
Although cars nowadays are equipped with recent and safer technology, accidents still happen a lot. Most car accidents happened due to driver error, and those drivers were mainly teenagers.
Teenagers or also called adolescence, refers to someone who is between 13 and 19 years old. The data that portray car accidents and teen drivers are horrible. Around 6 million car accidents happen every year, and 25% of those involve teenagers.
One of the main reasons teenagers are often involved in car crashes is that they don’t have enough experience. There are preventive measures to minimize car accidents involving teenagers.
However, prevention shouldn’t be just performed by the teens themselves, but other parties too, such as parents. Here are some facts and information about teen drivers and car accidents to keep you aware.
Facts and Statistics
First-year drivers are more susceptible to car crashes. It is said that they are 1000 percent more likely to experience accidents or to get injured while driving, due to lack of experience. They are also not recommended to drive during weekends and nighttime.
The roads are more packed during weekends, and it is not suitable for newbie drivers, whereas, at night time, people are more likely to break traffic rules.
There are around 35.000 traffic fatalities every year, and 10 percent involve teens. In addition, car accidents are the number one killer of teens, causing 33 percent of them to die.
Teen Drivers’ Common Mistakes
There are common mistakes performed by teen drivers that are dangerous for their lives and even for other road users. Here are nine common mistakes commonly done by teens.
- Distracted driving
- Failure to fasten seat belts
- Stop Law and etiquette
- Impaired driving
- Right-of-way confusion
- Failing to signal
- Driving too fast
- Not scanning surroundings
- Emotional impairment
- Driving the wrong vehicle
Advice for Parents
Teenagers are not the only party to be blamed when it comes to car crashes. The role of their parents also needs to be taken into account. Parents should be aware of their children as they just begin to drive.
Keeping an eye on your kids, and giving advice when they make mistakes can help them to drive safer. Parents’ guidance also makes teen drivers 200 percent more likely to fasten their seat belts regularly.
Parents Common Mistakes
Parents should be aware that their kids always watch their actions. Hence, they have to set good examples, including while driving. Here are some common mistakes that should be avoided by parents while driving.
- Forget to fasten seat belts
- Distracted while driving
- Let your teen drive
- Not enrolling your teen in a course
- Impatient
- Fail to provide a safe car
- Hand over the keys when they are not experienced
What Parents Can Do
As teens begin to drive, parents’ guidance is helpful to develop good driving habits and experience. Below is a list of actions for parents to help their teens to become responsible drivers.
- Teach about cars
- Teach financial responsibility
- Be a good side-seat driver
- Communicate
- Set reasonable rules
- Limit night and weekend driving
- No tolerance for cell phones and drinking
- Share driving task
- Sign a contract (if needed)
Conclusion
Teenage is the phase where individuals are expecting great changes in their life. They are eager to learn new things and sometimes a bit reckless. Although sometimes they act tough, they still need guidance from the more experienced people.
Letting teenagers know the risk when they drive poorly can avoid them getting into accidents. It also helps them to build and maintain good habits and become responsible drivers. If their awareness increases, car crashes, and other accidents can be minimized.Not only for car drivers, the recommendations above also apply for other vehicle users, including bicycles. If you want to know more, take a closer look at the Bike Danger Infographic.
Embed This Image On Your Site (copy code below):
