Knoxville,Tennessee, April 22 2005: 15 year old Holly Clancy became another one of the U.S. annual auto accident statistics after she dies in a car accident after she was ejected of the car, not wearing a seatbelt. Every hour police officers throughout the United States have to deliver such news to parents of teens killed in car crashes and each time it is equally as horrific. Sadly, the number one cause of teenager deaths is car accidents and investigations into teen car accident statistics prove that most of them follow a scheme and happen for the same reasons.
Teenagers are four times more likely to be killed in car accidents than any other age group. Just like the accident that killed Holly Clancy, crashes most often occur over the weekend, between 9 pm and 6 am. 50 percent of all fatal car accidents involve alcohol and drugs and over 80 percent of all car accidents can be linked to driver errors. Beyond, statistics suggest that many teenagers are much more likely to ignore basic safety rules concerning speeding or seat belts (60 percent of all teenagers killed in a car accidents did not wear seat belts). Before getting into the car, teens should always:
1. Failing to yield
2. Not adjusting to weather or darkness
3. Tailgating
4. Speeding and seat belt policies
5. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
It is widely known that males, especially between the ages 16 to 20 are more likely to engaged in reckless driving behavior, such as speeding, ignoring other safety rules and driving under the influence. Among teenage drivers, 25 percent of fatally injured male drivers involved in teen drunk driving accidents had blood alcohol level concentration levels at or above 0.08 percent. However, research shows that 16-year-old girls are just as likely to be involved in fatal crashes than 16-year-old boys. Parents are letting their daughters drive on a much more frequent basis today and therefore they are just as much at risk.
While other countries require a much more in-depth process for obtaining a drivers' license, teenagers in the United States are never really exposed to difficult driving situations. The learning experience, that usually takes place on a Friday or a Saturday night coupled with raging hormones often ends with lost lives of young kids.
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Passengers cause teen drivers to drive less safely.
It
has been proven that teenage drivers are much more likely to cause car
accidents when another teen passenger is present. Teens feel the
pressure to perform well while operating a vehicle and driving under
any kind of pressure increases the likelihood of getting involved in an
accident. At the same time, teenagers use the time in the car to chat,
laugh, make phone calls together or have lunch. This typical teenage
behavior distracts the drivers; the risk increases with the number of
teens present in the car.