Virginia and North Carolina Escape List of Worst States for Teen Drivers | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Raising a child is hard work, think of all the diapers, first days of school, scraped knees and of course happy memories.  So when your child becomes a budding teenager most parents feel that they can take a small sigh of relief that they made it this far.  But think about this before you hand the keys to the car over or even let your teen get into a car with another teen driver; car crashes continue to be the leading killer of teenagers.  In 2010, seven teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older to be in a fatal crash. 

A new list of “Worst States for Teen Drivers,” has been released.  Thankfully, Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC) are not on that list but their neighbor, South Carolina, (SC) did tie for 8th worst state for teen drivers.  Don’t celebrate too soon though because Virginia and North Carolina are nowhere to be found on the, “Best 10 States for Teen Drivers.”

As a parent you can help by discussing these factors which put teens at risk:

·         Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.

·         Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next.

·         Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes in 2010, 39% were speeding at the time of the crash9 and 25% had been drinking.

·         Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use.

As Virginia (VA) car accident injury lawyers we know that a car accident or related death involving a teen can be traumatic.  Losing a teenager in a car wreck can have far-reaching emotional and psychological implications. 

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