The accident rates for teen drivers are concerning. When you look at the amount of fatal accidents they’re involved in, the rate is disproportionately high compared to the size of the age group. There aren’t very many teenage drivers, in other words, but they cause an incredible amount of deadly crashes.
But why is this? There are many specific issues. Teenagers may be more likely to break the speed limit, for instance, or they may get distracted by their phones. They may make reckless decisions or not really understand the ramifications of dangerous driving habits, like tailgating. But there’s one root cause below all of these issues: Inexperience
The trouble with inexperience
Essentially, researchers have found that fatal accident rates drop as people get older. This means inexperience is causing the mistakes made by the teen drivers. Someone who hasn’t been practicing driving for very long is just much more likely to make a mistake or a poor decision behind the wheel. Their inexperience leads to texting and driving, speeding, tailgating and other such errors.
But the issue with this is that teens have to drive in order to get experience. Training can only do so much. They need time behind the wheel, and that’s how they become better and safer drivers.
As they work on their skills, though, these young drivers are certainly going to continue causing catastrophic accidents. They are going to make mistakes that lead to severe injuries for others, or even to fatalities. It’s important for those involved – and the family members of those who have passed away – to know about all the legal options at their disposal.
