Preventing North Carolina Car Accidents: Driving at Night is Greatest Fatality Risk to Teen Drivers
According to findings released today from a 10-year study of highway fatalities in the US, driving at night is the number one cause of teen driver-related deaths. Combine nighttime driving with cell phone use and the consequences to teen motorists and others can prove fatal.
According to Bernie Fette, one of the authors of the study, teens are so comfortable using a cell phone—having grown up with them—that they experience a “false sense of security” while mistakenly believing that they can safely text or talk on a cell phone while driving.
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says 25% of teenagers have admitted to texting while driving. In 2008, the largest group of distracted drivers belonged to the under 20 age group. This is unfortunate, considering that teens are the least experienced motorists and more easily prone to becoming distracted.
According to a Pew Internet and American Life Project, teen texting in the US has gone up from 38% teens texting daily in February 2008 to 54% texting teens in September 2009. Teens are sending anywhere from 50 texts daily to 100 texts a day—that’s 1,500 to 3,000 texts a month. Female teenagers in the 14-17 age group are the ones doing the most texting.
Teenagers are also least likely to understand that driving at night increases the chances that a tired, drowsy, or inexperienced driver may be involved in a car accident. It doesn’t help that, according to the National Sleep Foundation, the average teenager doesn’t get the 9 hours of sleep he/she needs.
Other common causes of teen driving accidents:
• Drunk driving
• Speeding
• Failure to wear seatbelts
• Driving with other teen passengers in the car
Our Charlotte, North Carolina car accident lawyers are committed to not only helping the victims of traffic crashes receive personal injury recovery for their traffic accident injuries, but also, we want to make sure that teenagers are educated about the dangers they face when driving. Just last month, our Monroe, North Carolina personal injury law firm conducted our “Arrive Alive! Don’t Drink and Drive” campaign. Hickory, North Carolina car accident attorney Michael A. DeMayo and former news anchor Tolly Carr spoke at different North Carolina high schools about driving while drunk. Our Charlotte motor vehicle accident law firm also gives away college scholarships each year in a campaign geared towards teens educating other teens about the dangers of drunk driving.
Nighttime driving is biggest danger for teen drivers, study says, Washington Post, May 6, 2010
Teens and Mobile Phones, PEW Internet, April 20, 2010
Related Web Resources:
DATABASE: Motorist fatalities by state, Washington Post
