Teen drivers naturally have the least amount of experience, even if they’ve been through driver’s training. States use graduated licensing systems to try to account for this, allowing teens to build up experience in a safe and controlled manner. However, the fact remains that it simply takes time for teens to gain the experience they need to drive safely.
In the meantime, that inexperience leads to a very high crash rate. For instance, when looking at how many fatal accidents happen per mile driven, the rate for someone in their teens is roughly 3 times higher than the rate for a driver who is at least 20 years old. Moreover, researchers identified the greatest level of risk for drivers in their first year, at just 16 or 17 years old. That is the age when the fatal accident rate is highest.
How can you avoid this risk?
You may not be a teen driver, but you do have to share the road with them. This means you face a significant level of risk every time you drive. The best thing to do is to focus on defensive driving. This means anticipating that the drivers around you are going to make mistakes.
For example, a defensive driver may leave four seconds between vehicles, rather than just two or three. The defensive driver wants to have more time to react if something unexpected happens, such as a teenager making a mistake and stopping suddenly. This following distance dramatically increases their safety, all at the cost of just one second.
Seeking compensation
That said, you can’t avoid all accidents caused by other drivers. If you do get injured in an accident this summer, be sure you know how to seek financial compensation.