Common causes of California car accidents among teenagers
Car accidents can cause serious personal injury and fatalities. To better understand the causes and effects of car accidents, various institutions in cooperation with government agencies study crash data. Studies found that teenage drivers aged 16 to 19 years old are more likely to cause car accidents. Los Angeles County, California, readers may be interested to know why teenager drivers are at greater risk of being involved in car crashes.
Due to lack of experience, teenage drivers often fail to assess road hazards while driving which can cause teenager drivers to make dangerous maneuvers that can lead to accidents. Another risk factor among teenage drivers is their low perception of risky situations. Without the ability to properly assess threats, young drivers can underestimate dangerous road conditions which cause accidents. Most teenager drivers are risk takers because they think their driving skills are superior. Teenager drivers can engage in reckless behaviors, such as passing dangerously, making illegal turns, violating traffic signs and signals, tailgating and speeding. Engaging in these dangerous or reckless behaviors often contributes to collisions.
A teen driver using alcohol and drugs before driving is another leading cause of accidents. Teenage drivers who have consumed the same amount of alcohol as adult drivers have a greater risk of causing car collisions compared to their older counterparts. Most drunk driving crashes involving teenagers result in fatalities. When teenagers drive, they often carry passengers who can distract or encourage the driver to engage in dangerous behaviors, such as speeding.
Drivers, especially teenagers, should take note of what causes teenage driver crashes so they can prevent them. In the event of a collision, a teenage driver can be held liable if the accident was a result of his or her negligence. Car accident victims have the right to seek compensation if negligence was a main contributing factor of the collision.
Source: Ca.gov, “Teenage driver crash statistics,” accessed on Sep. 21, 2014