The problem of distracted driving just continues to increase. Auto accidents happen each day in Georgia and all over the US because of cell phones, texting, GPS devices among other things. However, the negative consequences of driving while distracted is multiplied for driving teens, who are 4 times more likely than adult drivers to be involved in fatal car wrecks.
Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death of teenagers in this country. Two recent studies sponsored by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance took a look at the causes of these accidents involving teens as well as the consequences.
What did these studies find?
- Teens who are passengers are the biggest distraction to driving teens. Teen passengers are also the biggest contributing factor to car wrecks involving teens. Dr. Allison Curry, study author stated that “Passengers may contribute to crashes by distracting the driver and promoting risky driving behaviors, such as speeding, tailgating, or weaving.”
- Both male and female teen drivers who have passengers with them while they drive are two times as likely to be distracted prior to crashing.
- Males with passengers in the car are also two times as likely to drive aggressively as drivers with no passengers.
- For teen drivers, having two or more passengers in the car more than triples the risk of being involved in a fatal accident.
In 2006, 62% of teen passenger deaths occurred in vehicles driven by a teen driver. This is part of the reason why Georgia law doesn’t allow new teen drivers to have any non-family passengers in the car with them for the first six months after obtaining a license. For the next six-month period after that, only three passengers under the age of 21 are allowed.
Ty Wilson is a personal injury lawyer in Georgia and is dedicated to providing those who have been injured and the families of the injured with FREE information about auto accident claims in Georgia. Visit TyWilsonLaw.com to order Ty’s FREE books and to read his many articles, blog posts, and watch his videos.
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