Teen drivers are at a high risk to have car accidents. An car accident that occurred on Monday, June 16 at about 7 p.m. on Selma Church Road in Holmes County is a grim reminder of this fact. In that single car accident, Austin Martin, a seventeen year-old driver, was killed, while his fourteen year-old passenger sustained minor injuries. The overall difference was that Martin was not wearing his seat belt and was ejected from the car. His passenger remained safely strapped into his seat.
Teen Accident Stats
Teen drivers are certainly a major risk when it comes to car accidents. There are many reasons for this, such as inexperience, the tendency for teens to make bad decisions while driving due to immaturity, and teen feelings of being immortal and immune to injury. There’s a reason as to why teen car insurance rates are extremely high.
H0ere are some statistics concerning teen drivers.
- Over 74,000 young people die or are injured each year when not wearing their seatbelts.
- In their initial year behind the wheel, 1 in 5 16-year-old drivers has an accident.
- Finally, a 16-year-old is 20 times more likely to be killed in a car crash than an adult.
Also, recent studies have shown that a majority of teens admit to engaging in dangerous behaviors while driving, even though they know that these behaviors are dangerous. The behaviors include as texting, driving after drinking or using drugs, and talking on the phone. All of these activities increase the likelihood that a teen driver will get into a car accident.
Injuries Can Have Dire Consequences
Accidents such as the one noted above can certainly have terrible consequences. In this case, according to Florida Highway Patrol, Martin, who apparently lost control of his car and began rotating counter clockwise before entering a ditch and hitting an embankment, was ejected from his car and killed. Teens need to be reminded about how serious and dangerous an activity driving is.
Despite the fact that teens take driver education classes, that they must have a certain number of hours behind the wheel with a licensed driver sitting beside them, and that they are tested prior to receiving their license, it’s always important to remember that they are very young and prone to making mistakes.
Monitoring Your Child
The Law Team of Fetterman & Associates believes that parents should monitor the driving habits of their teens, remembering that they are still children. Discussing safety, making sure they know where their kids are going when driving or riding in a car, and ensuring that they have a purpose to their driving or riding, such as going to work, out some place specific, or picking up a family member, will help to keep a teen focused on practicing solid driving habits.
If you have been in a car accident and require information regarding a possible personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit, contact the Law Team of Fetterman & Associates at 561-845-2510 in West Palm Beach, Florida. We will be glad to meet with you, discuss your case, and help determine its viability.