Teens and Car Accidents

Long Island, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York

Teen drivers are less experienced and more likely to be involved in an automobile accident. The leading factor in teens and car accidents is not drinking, but distracted driving. According the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHATA), 80% of crashes involve some degree of driver distraction. Teens seem especially susceptible to these distractions and make up a disproportionate %age of car accidents and traffic fatalities.

Teen Car Accident Statistics

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading factor in teen deaths. A full 35% of teen deaths are related to car crashes, 16% due to homicide, and 12% to suicide. All remaining factors make up 37% of teen deaths.

Although teens only make up approximately 10% of the overall population, they account for almost 12% of the fatal accidents in the United States.

Common Distractions for Teens

Although there are probably hundreds of things that can distract a driver, there are a growing number of common distractions identified in various studies:

• Cell phones
• Texting
• Distractions outside the vehicle
• Passengers
• Food
• Radio
• Reaching for dropped items
• Applying make up
• Reading

The more teens there are in a particular vehicle, the greater the number of distractions, which increase the chances of being involved in a car accident.

Limiting Distractions

Increased public awareness has led to several public service ad campaigns to try to convince teens to drive more responsibly. Several states, including New York have adopted graduated licensing programs to help train better teen drivers. Drivers with junior licenses have the following restrictions:

• Limited number of underage passengers
• Limited driving areas
• Limited hours teen can drive

All teens must be accompanied by a supervising driver over age 21 with a valid license. Training and testing is conducted in steps to remove restrictions gradually.

If Your Teen Is Involved in an Accident

Despite these and other measures to improve teen driving safety, many teens every year will still be involved in an accident. If your teen is involved in an accident, many people will automatically assume that they were at fault. After seeking medical treatment and before filing your insurance claims, please contact Silberstein, Awad, & Miklos, P.C., New York's automobile attorneys, for help. We will ensure that your teenager's rights as a driver are protected.

Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C.
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