http://seriousaccidents.com/legal-advice/top-causes-of-car-accidents/
Last week in class, the controversy surrounding teenage driving was discussed. Specifically we questioned how accurate studies that targeted teen drivers were. In doing so, Professor Kuriloff brought attention to the idea of new drivers versus teen drivers.
In regards to this idea, I believe that new drivers, not specifically teenage drivers are subject to a higher risk of car accidents. It just so happens that teenage drivers are very inexperienced drivers, simply because they have not had the opportunity to be on the road. Critics may argue that more practice and a specific requirement for number of practice hours is the answer; however, such an argument is flawed. The attached articles provide evidence to refute this claim. Michael Pines, a prominent San Diego Personal Injury Lawyer, took the liberty of researching the top 25 causes of car accidents. Such research demonstrated that teenage drivers fell to the number 8 spot, significantly lower than most people anticipate. Furthermore, some of the top 5 causes were Distracted Driving, Night Driving, and Rain. All of these causes are not exclusive to a person's teenage years. Age does not control the weather, and even the most alert drivers are at times distracted. With this notion in mind, experience in all of these situations is necessary for the safety of all drivers. I believe that the real answer to the teenage/new driver dilemma is to create a driver's test that simulates these particular environments. Until this test is passed, any driver, regardless of age, should not receive their license.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/are-you-a-good-driver/
This article also provides evidence to support the notion that adolescent behavior. In fact, it states "A nationally representative sample of more than 800 crashes involving teenage drivers shows that almost two-thirds were due not to reckless behavior like speeding or joyriding but to three novice driving mistakes: failing to scan the road, misjudging driving conditions and becoming distracted." Once again, these causes have nothing to do with the development of the teenage brain or the risky behavior of teenagers.
In the youtube clip we watched early in the semester (I wasn't able to find it on blackboard) the speaker noted that, for teenaged drivers, having several teenagers in the car with the driver is about as dangerous as drunk driving. I'd be curious to see how many of the incidents of teenaged driving accidents that were blamed on novice mistakes could have had multiple teens in the car at the time. Of course, having lots of people in the car would be distracting for novice drivers of any age I'd imagine.
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