Teens and Car Accidents
The number of teens involved in auto accidents has increased dramatically over the past couple of years. In fact, auto accidents are one of the major causes of teen deaths. The Center for Disease control has stated that 36% of all teen deaths are attributable to some kind of auto accidents. It is a very alarming rate indeed. This statistic was compiled from teens aged between 15 and 19 years. There are numerous causes which are thought to have had a profound effect on the increase in the rate of fatalities.
It is claimed that teenagers take greater risks while driving which significantly increases the chances of having an accident. In most of the fatal accidents, the young drivers failed to assess the danger involved in the situation. This clearly shows that lack of maturity was indeed a contributing factor to the accident. Adults are less likely to take risks than the teenagers. Teenagers also abuse alcohol in a lot of instances, which makes them incapable of controlling the car while driving. A major portion of teen car accidents are also caused by drunk drivers who lose control of the car.
Besides the aforementioned aggravating factors, a major cause is the fact that a lot of teenagers fail to comply with the safety requirements. Teens are also highly probable to get involved in other thrill seeking or other adventurous acts, risking their life and increasingly getting involved in accidents. Teens have also been found to use alcohol and other drugs aggravating the chances of an accident. The amount of teens that use seat belts is 77 percent which is quite lower than the average of 82 percent. Therefore it is extremely important to create awareness amongst the teenagers to always wear seat belts while driving. This may also help reduce the incidences of accidents.
Parents can also play a significant role in making their children aware of the dangers of not complying with the driving rules. Teenagers must also be educated regarding the risks involved with irresponsible driving. Parents must always accompany the teenagers while they are learning how to drive. When teenagers know the actions of irresponsible driving then chances of any accident will be significantly reduced. Restrictions must also be placed on the amount of time the teenagers can drive. They must also be strictly restricted from using alcohol or other forms of drugs which may cause accidents. Taking these protective measures will significantly help in reducing the number of accidents.