Indianapolis car accident lawyer explains why young drivers cause collisions.
Teen drivers in Indiana cause more car accidents than other young motorists in many other states across the country, according to traffic safety experts at ValuePenguin who studied this problem nationwide.
Road safety researchers at other websites came to the same conclusion. “Young drivers are statistically more likely than other age groups to be involved in fatal accidents,” according to Bumper, which found that teen drivers cause more car crashes during the summer.
So why do teen drivers in Indiana cause so many collisions? And why is summer such a dangerous time due to teenage drivers? Our Indiana car accident attorneys at Hocker Law answer these questions below.
Indiana has more teen driver accidents than many states
Researchers at ValuePenguin compared car accident fatalities for every state from 2011 to 2020 based on official statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Each state was then ranked based on the average number of car accident deaths per capita caused by drivers under 20.
Based on these rules, Indiana was ranked the 15th worst state in the country for teen driver car accident deaths. On average, 1.97 deaths occurred each year for every 10,000 drivers under the age of 20 in Indiana. This works out to roughly 38 deaths every year caused by teen drivers during that 10-year period.
Teenage driver car accidents spike during summer
While collisions caused by teenagers can occur any time of year, summer is especially dangerous in many parts of the country. During the same 10-year period studied by ValuePenguin, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that teen driver car accident deaths consistently increase every summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This is why many traffic safety experts refer to this time of year as the “100 Deadliest Days.”
Specifically, 7,316 people died in car crashes from 2011 to 2020 during the summer months in accidents involving drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 years old. And since 2020, the problem has only gotten worse. During the summer of 2021, teen driver car accident fatalities totaled nearly 900 deaths, an increase of 6 percent compared to 2020 and 25 percent compared to 2019.
Why do teen drivers cause collisions?
Researchers identified several common causes of collisions involving teenage drivers:
- Speeding remains of the leading causes of collisions caused by young drivers. Specifically, speed was a contributing factor in 44.4 percent of teenage driver car accident deaths.
- Texting while driving often plays a role. One study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 39 percent of teen drivers admitted to texting while driving in the past 30 days.
- Having other teens in the vehicle often results in collisions. This is because teen drivers focus less on driving when there are other teenagers in the vehicle.
- Drunk driving was a contributing factor in 23 percent of car accident fatalities involving teen drivers, according to ValuePenguin.
Another major factor in many teen driving accidents is lack of experience. Because younger drivers are inexperienced, they often take risks on the road without realizing just how dangerous it is to speed, text, or engage in other high-risk driving habits.
How can an Indiana car accident attorney help?
You might think you don’t need a lawyer if a teenage driver crashed into your car. Such cases might seem straightforward at first. But the reality is many car accidents involving multiple drivers often turn into complex legal matters. And if you don’t have an experienced attorney on your side, looking out for your best interests, your car accident claim or lawsuit might not get the attention it rightfully deserves.
Our Indianapolis car accident lawyers at Hocker Law know exactly what to do in such situations. We can answer your questions, explain your options and then get right to work building a strong legal case designed to obtain the money you deserve for your accident-related expenses.
Learn more about how we can help you. Contact us and schedule a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney you can trust.