It’s that time of year where teens are experiencing some freedom and a taste of adult life. Many are graduating from high school, getting ready to start the futures. Summertime means hanging with friends, staying out late, and enjoying life to the fullest. It can also be a dangerous time in your child’s life, especially if he/she has a license.
Much like adult drivers, teen drivers face the same risks when getting behind the wheel of a car. According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, car crashes are the number one cause of death for teenagers in America. For every teen that’s killed in a crash, 100 more are injured.
There are five specific dangers teen drivers face:
- Driving at Night/Drowsy Driving: Most of the teens that drive after 11 p.m. are tired and sleep deprived. Drowsy driving has a similar effect on the brain as driving while intoxicated. Your reaction time is much slower and the possibility of falling asleep behind the wheel is extremely real.
- Speeding/Street Racing: Did you know that more than a third of teen car accidents involve speeding? Teen drivers, even adult drivers, don’t understand that by driving even five miles over the speed limit can put your life in serious danger. It’s harder to stop, making it harder to avoid a danger.
- Distracted Driving: Although drivers who use handheld devices are four times more likely to get into a crash, passengers are equally as distracting as cell phones. In fact, half of the teens who die in car crashes were in a car that was driven by another teen.
- Lack of Seat Belt Use: Approximately two out of every five teens involved in a fatal car crash were not wearing a seat belt. This includes both drivers and passengers alike. In fact, the use of a seat belt is lowest among young people between the ages of 16 and 24.
- Underage Drinking and Driving: Here’s a scary fact for any parent of a teen — a 2015 CDC survey found that 33 percent of high school students drank alcohol and 8 percent drove after drinking.
If you’re a parent of a teen driver, be proactive in making your teen a cautious driver. If your child does get into a car accident and you need legal advice in Houston or anywhere else in Texas, we’re here to help. Contact the car accident lawyer at de Lachica Law Firm today for a free consultation.