Despite Recent Tragedies, Teen Car Accidents Are Declining, Says Chicago Car Accident Attorney

Chicago, IL (Law Firm Newswire) April 18, 2013 – A cluster of tragic car accidents involving teenagers belies the national trend of fewer such accidents.

Four high school friends died recently when their car skidded off a bridge in rural Illinois and fell into a creek. The tragedy came just one day after five Texas teenagers died in a fiery crash and an accident in Ohio claimed six lives. However, statistics show that fatal crashes involving teenagers are actually decreasing.

“Our hearts go out to the victims of these horrible events, and we are reminded that young drivers are especially vulnerable,” said Robert Briskman, a Chicago car accident attorney. “Thankfully, car accidents involving teenagers have actually declined significantly in recent decades.”

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, for people ages 13 to 19, car accidents are the number one cause of death, and teenagers are at three times greater risk of being in an accident than older drivers. However, the institute reports that teen deaths from car accidents have dropped from 8,748 in 1975 to a 2010 total of 3,115.

Last month, the Governors Highway Safety Association released a report showing that fatal crashes involving teenage drivers have declined over the past decade. In 2000, 435 16-year-old drivers were killed in car accidents, and that number decreased to 173 by 2011. For 17-year-old drivers, the number dropped from 564 to 250 during the same time period. For passengers involved in crashes where the driver was between the ages of 15 and 20, fatalities have decreased from 1,898 in 1982 to 777 in 2011, according to the report.

The decrease in fatalities is likely due to improvements in auto safety and restrictions on younger drivers, such as limits on driving at night and driving with teenage passengers in the vehicle. In addition to those changes, researchers have found that fewer U.S. teens are getting driver’s licenses. Among teenagers and people in their twenties and thirties, the percentage of people who are licensed drivers has dropped significantly over the past three decades in the United States. One theory proposed by researchers to explain the change is that communication technology has reduced young people’s desire to visit face-to-face.

To learn more about a Chicago personal injury lawyer and Chicago personal injury attorney, Paul Greenberg, visit http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com or call 877-595-HURT (4878).

Briskman Briskman & Greenberg
351 West Hubbard Street, Ste 810
Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: 312.222.0010
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