You can’t choose with whom you share the road, but you can understand the types of drivers that are out there and the potential hazards that they pose. No matter how safe you are or how well you can drive, there is always some level of risk created by those around you.
To this end, you may be wondering which age group poses the biggest risk. In this area, the statistics are clear: Young drivers, between 16 and 19 years of age, cause the most car accidents.
How big is the gap?
Anyone can cause a car accident, and there are clear examples of both safe young drivers and dangerous older drivers. But when you look at the overall trends, considering how many miles people of every age group put on their vehicles, those who are between 16 and 19 years of age cause three times as many accidents as those who are 20 years of age or older.
The statistic above, it’s worth noting, is drawn from fatal crash data. Those who cause fatal accidents are much more likely to be young. Those who lose their lives include these young drivers, their passengers, and other motorists and passengers who are hit by them.
The main reason that young drivers cause so many crashes is just that they’re inexperienced. This can lead to recklessness, underestimating the danger and simply making mistakes that older drivers wouldn’t make.
Have you been injured or lost a loved one?
If another driver has involved you in an accident that led to serious injuries, you may be able to seek compensation. The same is true if you have tragically lost a loved one due to a driver’s negligent or reckless actions.