Car accidents are the leading cause of death for those between the ages of 15 and 20, and the chance that teens are involved in an accident is much higher right now. A study conducted by AAA showed that drivers ages 16 to 19 were involved in 16 percent more crashes during the 100 days after Memorial Day than any other time during the year.
Summer Time Teen Drivers and Passengers
The summertime spike makes sense because teens are driving more for fun than with any real purpose during the summer. They generally have more free time as well. They might be out driving aimlessly or heading to recreational activities. Teens might also be driving on roads where they have never traveled before. Their friends, however, might be the biggest difference.
Passengers be a huge risk for teen drivers. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that nearly 60 percent of teen crashes involve distracted drivers. You may be surprised to learn that passengers can be just as distracting as texting or using a cell phone in general. Simply having passengers in the car increases the chances that a teen driver will be in a fatal accident by a staggering 44 percent.
Hamilton County’s High Distracted Driving Rates
Hamilton County, Tennessee is the fourth highest county in the state for distracted driving crashes. In fact, Hamilton County was home to 1,600 accidents caused by distracted driving last year alone. Distracted driving can include:
- Texting
- Listening to music
- Putting on make up
- Eating or drinking
- Fiddling with GPS or navigation systems
- Loud conversations with passengers
- Horseplay
Because passengers are a major source of distraction for teens, there are limitations on the number of passengers that they can transport in Tennessee. When teens have the Intermediate Restricted License, they are limited to having siblings in their vehicle who are being transported to school or just one passenger, unless they have a licensed driver who is over 21 years old in the car.
Distracted driving was the cause of more than 23,000 accidents in Tennessee for people of all ages last year. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident, contact a Knoxville personal injury lawyer from our law firm today. We can evaluate your case completely free of charge.
Call (865) 247-0080 now.
