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Young Drivers Account for One-Fifth of Car Accident Fatalities

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a report in November 2009 stating that young drivers accounted for one-fifth of all traffic deaths on the nation’s roads. According to the NHTSA, young people, ages 15 to 20, have certain characteristics that differentiate them from older drivers.

Young people do not have nearly as much driving experience as older individuals. Plus, young drivers are more apt to participate in risk taking behavior than older drivers who know the dangers of making rash driving decisions. Previous studies show that young people do not have the same maturity level as older drivers, which can lead to deadly mistakes.

Measures have been taken, including the development of graduated driver licensing programs, to help educate young drivers about the dangers on the road and to reduce risk-taking behavior. However, 15-to-20-year-olds are still involved in fatal car accidents at an alarming rate. The NHTSA’s Traffic Safety Facts: Fatal Crashes Involving Young Drivers report listed the following unsettling statistics regarding auto accidents and young people:

• Young people, ages 15 to 20, made up 9 percent of the population in the United States and accounted for 6 percent of the licensed drivers in 2007. Yet, 19 percent of all the traffic deaths in the United States in 2007 were associated with young drivers.
• Nearly two-thirds of the individuals killed in car accidents involving young drivers were the young drivers themselves or their passengers.
• Sixty-seven percent of the passengers killed in vehicles driven by young drivers were in the same 15-to-20-year-old age bracket.
• Fifty-seven percent of the deaths involving young drivers and 56 percent of the fatal accidents happened on rural roads.
  

If you have been injured in a car accident in Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego or other location in Southern California, you need to contact Steinberg & Spencer Injury Lawyers at 1-800-350-8888. A car accident lawyer from our law firm will be able to explain your rights and eligibility to receive compensation for your car crash injuries.

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