What can be done to help prevent young driver fatalities?
Indiana teenagers often cause car accidents during the summer months, according to a recent nationwide traffic safety study that compared the teen driver car accident rates of different states between June and September.
“As teenagers celebrate the prom, graduation ceremonies, and summer school breaks, highway safety officials prepare for a more grim season—the “100 deadliest days” for traffic accidents,” states Bumper, the website that conducted the study, adding, “Young drivers are statistically more likely than other age groups to be involved in fatal accidents.
So why is summer such a dangerous time for teenage drivers? Our Indiana car accident attorneys at Glaser & Ebbs explain what you need to know.
How bad are teen driving accidents during the summer?
Traffic safety experts have known for a long time that teen drivers consistently cause more accidents during the summer months. The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is often called the “100 Deadliest Days” due to the increase in the number of teen driver deaths each year.
For example, during the summer months between 2011 and 2020, drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 caused 7,316 car accident deaths nationwide, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
And those numbers have only gotten worse. In 2021, teen drivers caused nearly 900 car accident fatalities during the summer, according to the AAA Foundation. That number is 6 percent higher than in 2020 and 25 percent higher than in 2019.
How does Indiana compare to other states for teen driver accidents?
The summer teen driver car accident safety study conducted by Bumper compared car crash data for each state from 2019 to 2021 compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In the case of Indiana, 35.4 percent of all teen driver car accident fatalities occurred during the months of June to September. The teen driver car accident fatality rate for Indiana for the entire year was also found to be 4.87 deaths per 10,000 teen drivers.
While such numbers are alarming, many other states had even more deaths involving teen drivers throughout the year and especially during the summer months. The state with the most overall teen-driving deaths for the year per capita was New Mexico. Wyoming had the highest percentage of summer teen driving deaths.
Common causes of teen driving accidents
Some of the top causes of fatal crashes involving teen drivers include:
- Speeding, which played a role in 44 percent of car accident fatalities involving teen drivers, according to ValuePenguin.
- Distracted driving, which often involves texting while driving or being distracted by other teenagers in the vehicle.
- Drinking and driving, which was a contributing factor in 23 percent of teen driving car accident fatalities.
- Lack of experience, which often involves younger drivers taking risks that result in collisions because they don’t realize just how dangerous certain situations can be on the road.
Why should I hire an Indiana car accident attorney?
Car accident injury claims or lawsuits involving collisions caused by teen drivers often quickly turn into complicated legal cases. If you don’t have an attorney on your side looking out for your best interests, you might not get the money you need to pay for your accident-related expenses, which can add up fast.
Our car accident lawyers at Glaser & Ebbs are here to help. We have years of experience handling complex legal cases involving car accidents and know how to deal with insurance companies. Whether it’s negotiating the best-possible settlement offer or fighting for your rights in court, we have the drive you need to succeed and win.
Learn more about your potential legal options. Contact our law firm and schedule a free consultation with a car accident attorney you can trust. We have six offices conveniently located throughout Indiana, including Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. We also work on a contingency fee basis. That means you only have to pay us if we secure a financial settlement or verdict for you.