Teen Driving Safety

In 2006, 36% of teen deaths were to due to car accidents making this the leading cause of death of our nations teens. The risk of car accidents among 16 to 19 year olds is higher than any other age group, per mile driven they are four times more likely than older drivers to be involved in an accident. Male teens are almost twice as likely as females to be involved in an accident. The first year a teenage driver has their license is especially fraught with risk. Recently the Maryland Senate has voted to toughen driving laws for teenagers. Under these new laws, teenagers found to be drunk driving, leaving the scene of an accident or fleeing police will face an automatic license suspension of 6 months. Also parents or guardians of teenage drivers must now be notified if their child has been issued a citation for a moving violation.

There are many different factors that cause teenage drivers to be involved in a fatal accident

• Underestimation of hazardous situations
  Teens may not recognize potentially hazardous situations or may lack the experience to deal with them. This includes bad weather, unexpected objects in the roadway, or actions of other drivers. They often act too quickly and don’t consider the consequences of their actions. Teenagers also have a tendency to speed up at yellow lights so as not to miss them, making intersections especially hazardous.
• Speeding
  Teen drivers are more likely to speed, especially male drivers who are driving with male passengers. They are also less likely to allow a proper amount of space between their vehicle and vehicles in front of them. Teens tend to have a sense of invincibility, leading to reckless behavior, endangering themselves, passengers and other vehicles.
• Drunk Driving
  Despite the fact that teens are not legally able to drink, they have the highest rate of accidents due to drunk driving than other age group. In 2005, of drivers 15-20 that were involved in fatal accidents, 23% were found to have a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. 10% of teens admit to drinking and then getting behind the wheel, 30% admit to being in the car with a drunk driver within the past 30 days.
• Cell Phones
  Using a cell phone is very distracting, even more so for a teen driver.Your 4 times more likely to be in an accident while using a cell phone and driving. Texting while driving is especially dangerous, texting teens are 6 times more likely to be in an accident. 50% of teens text while driving. Maryland has recently enacted a law to prohibit drivers under 18 from using their cell phone while driving.
• Lack of seatbelt use
  In 2006 58% of the 2813 teenagers that were killed were not wearing their seatbelt. In 2005 10% of high schoolers admitted they rarely, if ever, use their seatbelt. Research shows the use of a seat belt decreases the risk of serious injury by almost half. Maryland is one of five states with the highest rate of seat belt use owing to primary safety belt laws, which enables officers to pull over and issue citations to drivers or passengers who are not wearing their seat belt.
• Being distracted
  Many teenage drivers involved in accidents admit to not seeing oncoming vehicles, ignoring or not paying attention to traffic signals, daydreaming, or focusing on things in or outside their vehicles that took their attention from the roadway. Teen passengers have been to found to be very distracting to teen drivers, and the more teen passengers the higher the risk of an accident. Teenage drivers are found to speed more and leave less room between vehicles when riding with teen passengers, making the roadway dangerous not only for themselves but other drivers.

Recently the Maryland Senate has voted to toughen driving laws for teenagers. Under these new laws, teenagers found to be drunk driving, leaving the scene of an accident or fleeing police will face an automatic license suspension of 6 months. Also parents or guardians of teenage drivers must now be notified if their child has been issued a citation for a moving violation. Other restrictions are now been considered, including a 10 pm curfew for 16 year olds, allowing police officers to pull over and issue citations for using a cellphone while driving, and raising the age requirement to obtain a learners permit from 15 years and 9 months to 16 years. Our firm’s goal is to help you and your family get the maximum compensation you deserve. If you were injured in Maryland then contact our firm – we are experienced Maryland auto accident lawyers.