When you look at fatal accident rates in the United States, they certainly exist for all age groups. But they move in something of a wave. The highest fatal accident rates belong to teens, at the very beginning of their driving careers. These rates then decline as they move into middle age, before jumping back up for elderly drivers.
Part of the reason that elderly drivers have higher fatality rates is just frailty. Drivers who are older and may already have underlying health concerns are more likely to pass away in car accidents, even if these accidents aren’t as severe. But why is it that teens have an even higher fatality right? Why are they getting involved in so many serious accidents?
The role of inexperience
The problem here is that teens are just inexperienced drivers. A person who is inexperienced at anything is going to make more mistakes, whether they are playing a video game, playing an instrument or learning a new subject in school. Mistakes are just part of the learning process, and teenagers need to make and learn from these errors on the road.
Unfortunately for other drivers around them, though, these errors can have very serious ramifications. Teens routinely cause accidents that lead to severe injuries or even death for those in other vehicles. It does take time for them to get the experience they need to learn how to drive safely, but they’re also going to cause accidents during this learning process.
Have you lost a loved one?
Have you suffered serious injuries or even lost a loved one in a crash caused by another driver? If you have, then you need to know about all of your legal options to seek compensation.