Teenager Car Accident Statistics - What You, As a Parent, Must Know

Teenager car accident [1] statistics are frightening. It is no
surprise that parents are often a nervous wreck when the time comes
for their teen to get their driver's license. The statistics show some
very devastating trends involving teen drivers. By looking at the
statistics, a parent and others involved with teen drivers can more
easily see what they need to do to prevent further teen car accidents.

Basic National Statistics

There are plenty of statistics that point to the dangers of teen
driving. In the category of teen drivers are those between the ages of
15 and 20. In 2004, over 7,000 teenagers were killed in car accidents.
These teen drivers accounted for almost 13 percent of all drivers in
fatal car accidents in 2006.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that the
cost of teenager car accidents is over $40 billion a year.

During the first 500 miles that a teenager drives, crashes are 10
times more likely than for an adult driver. Teen drivers make up about
7 percent of licensed drivers, but they account for 14 percent of the
fatalities in accidents. Of teen driver deaths, over 50 percent occur
on the weekend. Motor vehicle death is the number one cause of death
for teenagers.

What Has Been Learned

From statistics much helpful information has been learned that can be
used to prevent future teenager car accidents. For instance, since it
has been shown that newly licensed drivers of age 16 are the group
that has the highest accident [2] rate, many states have started a
graduated licensing program. These programs require a variety of
different steps of learning and training that must be completed before
a driver is fully licensed. Graduated drivers license programs have
helped to lower teenage car accident [3] rates by almost 7 % from the
time between 1995 to 2005.

Other statistics have helped increase the knowledge of the importance
of education for teen drivers about issues regarding seat belts and
drinking and driving. The statistics show that two-thirds of teenage
fatalities in car accidents were not wearing a seat belt. Additionally
one-third of teen accidents involved alcohol. With increased education
about wearing seat belts and drinking and driving there is hope of
lowering those numbers.

There are other statistics that have been able to give insight into
what makes teen drivers so prone to car accidents. The Allstate
Foundation did a survey in 2005 and found that half of teen drivers
use their cell phone while driving. Cell phones have been shown to be
very distracting to a driver and has been named as a leading cause of
car accidents. This survey also found that speeding is prominent among
teen drivers.

The results of this survey and the other statistics show that parents
and educators need to be more strict in what they teach teen drivers.
Teen drivers need to be alerted tot he risks of distracted driving and
the risks of speeding. There needs to be an increase of education and
more standards in place to assure that teen drivers stop making the
same mistakes that have lead to teenager car accidents.

Rex Bush handles personal injury cases in Utah. For info on injury
issues visit his website: Personal Injury Utah. Should you hire an
injury lawyer [4]? Visit this page: Utah Injury Lawyer.

Links:
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[1] http://caraccidentsus.info/tag/accident/
[2] http://caraccidentsus.info/tag/accident/
[3] http://caraccidentsus.info/tag/accident/
[4] http://caraccidentsus.info/tag/lawyer/