Most people already know that teen drivers are the most dangerous drivers on the road and the most likely to be involved in an accident. Statistics show that teens are nearly four times more likely to be in an accident than older drivers. While such factors as inexperience, rash decision-making and immaturity are reasons that people know contribute to the increase in teen accidents, another factor was recently shown by the Automobile Association of America’s Foundation for Traffic Safety to also contribute significantly to teen accidents.
That factor, teens driving with friends and other people younger than 20, was shown to increase the risk of teens dying in accidents by 44% if a teen was driving with a friend under the age of 20. On the other hand, the study showed that the risk of teens dying in a car accident was reduced by 62% if a teen was driving with a person over the age of 34.
Experts attribute the increase in risk to the increase in distractions to the teen driver created by the friends in the car. Experts also believe that teens will be more likely to partake in dare devil activities if they are driving with their friends. No matter the reason, the state of Illinois has taken note of the increased risk caused by teens driving with friends and in most cases limits the number of teenage passengers that a teen can drive with to 1 until the driver reaches the age of 18.
Although there are numerous studies that already showed that teenage drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents, this is just another one to remind drivers to always be aware of other drivers on the road, especially teenagers driving with friends.
If you or your children are involved in an accident or need help with any other traffic matter, contact the Bloomington, Illinois attorneys at the Finegan Law Firm.
