The root cause of many fatal teen car accidents

Teenagers getting into car accidents is certainly nothing new. They have one of the highest overall accident rates, along with the highest fatal accident rate out of any age group. Much of the risk that other drivers face on the road comes from teens.

These young drivers cause accidents for a wide variety of reasons. Some may be distracted by cellphones. Others may be under the influence. Still others may be engaging in risky behaviors like speeding or aggressive driving. But is there a root cause that leads to these abnormally high fatal accident rates?

The role of inexperience

Statistics make it clear that inexperience is a major issue with young drivers.

For example, if you look at the crash rate per mile for those who are 16 years old, it is about one and a half times higher than the same rate for drivers who are at least 18. This indicates that having two years of experience behind the wheel significantly reduces the fatal accident rate. It is the experience that helps teens become safer drivers, as they make fewer mistakes and are more aware of how to drive safely.

Why is this a problem?

This is a major problem because inexperience is a hard issue to fix. Teen drivers need to spend more time on the roads so that they can gain valuable experience, thus making them safer drivers. But allowing them to drive before they get that experience means they are going to continue causing car accidents.

Other drivers could suffer serious injuries in these crashes. Those who do need to know how to seek financial compensation.