Inexperienced Drivers Cause More Accidents

Every time you get into a motor vehicle, you put yourself at risk of serious auto accidents and injuries. Even the most careful and experienced drivers cannot avoid a collision at times. Young and relatively inexperienced drivers are at an even higher rate of injury, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that teenage drivers have a greater risk of being in a crash than most adult drivers, with the exception of particularly elderly drivers. This statistic is despite stricter requirements to obtain a driver’s license and greater limitations on the driving rights of new drivers. The following provides some information regarding why teen drivers have such a high risk of accidents.
 
Distractions — Teens are often very easily distracted. With the rise of smartphones, the majority of teenagers today are glued to their screens to text, post photos, or engage in other forms of social media. Unfortunately, this includes when they are behind the wheel, as teens often do not have the self-control to put their phones down for the duration of the drive. In addition, having a group of young friends in the car can also be extremely distracting. The music may be playing loudly and friends may be talking constantly. This can easily take a teen driver’s concentration from the roadway, which can lead to collisions and injuries.
 
Less experience handling a vehicle — When adult drivers encounter obstacles or dangerous conditions on the road, they often have the experience to know how to handle their motor vehicle in a way that avoids crashing. Teen drivers, however, have likely encountered significantly fewer obstacles and may not know how to properly swerve or brake to avoid overcorrecting or skidding, which can often lead to an accident. This is also true for adverse weather conditions as a teen may not understand how to properly drive in snow, rain, ice, or fog without losing control of the vehicle.
 
Less appreciation of risk — Teens are often, by nature, reckless because they inherently have less of an appreciation of the risks of injury or death. Teens often believe they are invincible and many young drivers are no different. For this reason, they may get behind the wheel of a car after drinking or doing drugs, may engage in reckless behavior like speeding or racing, may allow themselves to be distracted by texting, and may engage in other similarly negligent acts. Because they do not fully appreciate risk, they often place themselves in risky situations, and this includes while on the road.
 
Unfortunately, teen drivers are often not the ones who sustain injuries in the accidents they cause. The AAA Foundation reported that 67 percent of the people who sustained injuries in crashes caused by teen drivers were either passengers or motorists in other vehicles. For this reason, it is even more important for teen drivers to be careful and avoid negligent behavior on the road.
If you have suffered injuries in an accident caused by a negligent inexperienced driver, your first call should be to the Rockford law office of Fisk & Monteleone LTD. Our Illinois auto accident attorneys offer free consultations, so please call at 815-315-9656 to discuss how we can help you recover for your losses.