Trying To Understand Teen Driver Accidents in Florida

Looking more closely at serious and fatal car crashes in Florida caused by teen drivers, the unpleasant facts show us where the risks are:

• In the 15 to 19 driver age group, males are almost twice as likely to be killed in a car crash than females;
• The more passengers in the car, the higher the risk of an accident if the car is driven by an unsupervised teen driver;
• The risk of a serious accident for teen drivers is more than two times higher in their first year of driving than in the four subsequent years.

Teen driving accidents in Florida are also better understood when looking at the behavior of young drivers and car occupants as revealed by studies made in Florida and other U.S. states:

• Teen drivers tailgate the preceding car more often, and often drive at speeds that do not allow them to avoid an unexpected obstacle;
• Many teens do not wear a seatbelt at all times;
• Twenty-six percent of male drivers in the 15-20 age group involved in fatal accidents had been drinking. Thirty-seven percent were speeding when the crash occurred.
• The influence of alcohol on the crash rate of a teen driver is far higher than for drivers in other age groups;
• Twenty-five percent of drivers aged 15 to 20 who died in a car crash had a blood alcohol concentration at or above the legal limit of 0.08.
• Fifty-six percent of all fatal teen driver accidents occur on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays, and half of them between 3 p.m. and midnight.

If you have been hurt in a car, truck or motorcycle accident caused by someone else, call the Daytona Beach attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert PA today toll free at (800) 556-8890 and locally at (386) 673-4412 or send our lawyers an email to arrange a free consultation.