Your job frequently lets you out at 3:30 in the afternoon, which is one of the perks you enjoy. You get to go home a bit early, avoiding the traffic jams so common around 5 p.m., and you get to spend some more time with your family. You really value that time, and you do not mind getting to work a bit earlier than most if it means getting out early.
However, you are also well aware that you leave work at the same time as many teenagers get out of high school. Sometimes, you feel like you are surrounded by teenage drivers on every road, at every stoplight and in every intersection.
It makes you nervous. You know that teens have a reputation as dangerous drivers. In fact, for U.S. teens, car accidents are their leading cause of death. Not only do you worry about getting into an accident, but you also wonder why these drivers are so dangerous.
Lack of experience
First and foremost, the issue is a lack of experience. A 16-year-old driver may have passed his or her tests, but that driver has not even been driving for a year yet. They haven’t encountered many situations that teach them how to drive safely. They haven’t practiced as much as an older driver. There is no way to gain more experience but to drive, and that means their risks are always higher.
Making more critical mistakes
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that, partially due to their lack of experience, teens make more critical mistakes. They call these “critical decision errors” and can include mistakes like:
- Wrongly assuming right-of-way
- Oversteering or overcorrecting
- Misjudging gaps in traffic when turning left
Older drivers make these mistakes as well, but the rate at which teens do this is higher, so they cause many accidents.
Not recognizing hazards
Another issue is that teens do not always recognize hazardous situations. Even when they do, they may underestimate the danger. This means they may not react properly. For instance, an experienced adult driver may slow down significantly in the snow and ice during the winter, whereas teens may know the roads are slick but not think it’s all that dangerous.
Taking more risks
Finally, teenagers take more risks. They often tailgate, either with or without realizing they’re doing it. They often break the speed limit. They do the very things that their classes taught them not to do, but they willingly embrace these risks. Again, it could be because they do not understand how dangerous these risky behaviors really are.
Another risky behavior nearly synonymous with teen drivers is impairment. For instance, distraction is far too common among teens who can lose focus by texting, finding music to listen to or having fun with passengers in the car. The IIHS also notes that over one-third of teen drivers killed in crashes in 2024 had alcohol in their system.
Impaired driving, whether it is due to distraction or substance use, can be deadly behind the wheel; particularly when combined with the other risk factors we explained earlier.
After a crash
The data is clear: a lack of experience and a tendency toward risky behavior increase the risk of serious car accidents caused by teenage drivers. While we all hope for a safe drive home, accidents happen in the blink of an eye. If you or a loved one has been injured in a collision involving a teen driver, a skilled legal team can help you hold the responsible parties accountable and secure the compensation you may deserve.
