20% of All Traffic Deaths Occur in Teenage Drivers
Recently, the NHTSA has released information about the number of teen deaths related to driving accidents in California and around the country. This is part of an effort to increase awareness in the public about trends emerging, which is found by analyzing accident statistics. According to this newly released information, about 1/5th of all traffic fatalities occur in accidents involving young drivers.
There were 669 deaths in traffic accidents involving drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 in California in 2007. Of this total, 238 of the victims were the drivers. Passengers riding with teen drivers accounted for 199 of the deaths, and out of these 199:
15 were under 15 years old
127 were between the ages of 15 and 20
57 were over 20 years old
Other than passengers of the teen drivers vehicle, occupants of other vehicles that were involved in these accidents accounted for 157 deaths, and 75 deaths resulted in those not riding in a car such as pedestrians.
Teen motor safety is still a huge concern, especially in light of these statistics and the high rates of fatalities occurring in teen accidents. Statistics from FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) which were used in the data show that:
*In 2007, drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 made up 9 percent of the population and 6 percent of licensed drivers. Drivers of this age made up an alarming portion of the accident fatalities. 19 percent of traffic fatalities nationwide were due to accidents involving young drivers in 2007.
*There were 7650 deaths in 2007 in accidents involving these motorists.
*The majority of the time, those who died were the drivers or a passenger in their car. 2029 fatalities nationwide in 2007 were passengers between the ages of 15 and 20.
*67 percent of passenger fatalities were in the same age group as the driver, between 15 and 20 years old.
*The highest accident rates in teen drivers occur on rural roadways. About 57% of accidents involving the death of a teen occur on rural or country roads.
Most teenage motorists enjoy traveling with passengers in their own age group, which explains why young motorists and their passengers are the most likely age group to die in traffic accidents.
There are many suspected reasons that more fatalities occur on country roads, and California auto accident lawyers know that rural roads often have higher rates of speeding and reckless driving than other roads. Drunk driving is more common on the rural and back roads as well. Country roads are often rougher and not as well designed as other roads, which may account for the increased risk of accidents in these rural areas.
The Reeves Law Group has offices across California and is dedicated to representing personal injury victims, including victims of auto accidents. Please contact us for a free consultation at (800) 644-8000.
