Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog
According to a study authored by two researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, almost 50% of teen drivers in the 15 to 17 age group that died in motor vehicle crashes from ’08 – ’12 were operating vehicles were six to eleven years old. Close to a third of those that died were riding in small autos. The results from the study, based on the government’s FARS data, were published earlier this month in Injury Prevention.
The study’s leader, IIHS Sr. VP of Research leader Anne McCartt, said that a lot of the teen drivers who are dying are doing so in the “least protective types of vehicles.” Older vehicles tend to lack the best technology when it comes to safety, such as side air bags, electronic stability control. Also, the smaller the vehicle, usually the less protection there is from impact during a collision.
It should be noted that the number one cause of fatalities among U.S. teens is car accidents. These younger drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a traffic crash.
One reason for this is that teens are less experienced at driver, not as mature as adult drivers, and may be more prone to distraction, speeding, driving under the influence, or making uniformed decisions while on the road-especially during an emergency situation.
They also are more likely to not put on a seatbelt. Per the study, out of 2,500 teens, 82% died while operating vehicles over six years old while 48% were in cars that were more than eleven years old. (For the purposes of the study, researchers did not examine data involving people that were in car crashes but survived.)
Often, teen drivers will transport teen passengers, placing even more of our youth at risk of injury or death in the event of a serious collision. In Massachusetts, if your child was injured in a traffic crash that you believe was caused by the negligence of another driver or for another reason, such as a defective vehicle or unsafe road conditions, please contact our Boston car accident lawyers today.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
More Blog Posts:
Three Fatalities, Two Injuries Sustained in Recent Massachusetts Traffic Crashes During Christmas Week, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, December 26, 2014
Massachusetts Wrongful Death Lawsuits Sue Applebee’s, Whole Foods, Respectively, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, December 31, 2014
Domestic Workers in Massachusetts Soon to Get Employment and Labor Protections, Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Blog, December 27, 2014
