High Percentage of Teen Drivers and Fatal Crashes

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

The parents of a young man who was killed in a fatal crash caused by speeding released a video he was recording at the time of the crash. The family hope that the shocking footage will help convince young people to slow down and help save lives.

The crash occurred in Sussex, England. The 21-year-old victim, who was a passenger but owned the vehicle, was recording the video as his 20-year-old friend, who was unlicensed, hit speeds of 90 mph. According to the coroner’s report, the two were highly intoxicated on drugs. They can be heard in the video prodding each other. The passenger says to his friend, “You’re doing 90 boy, slow down,” and seconds later the car crashed into the wall of a church. The two were killed instantly.

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of young people in this country. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 4,000 teens between the ages of 15 through 20 are killed every year in car crashes. Another 250,000 are seriously injured.

Teen male drivers are more than twice as likely as female teens to be involved in a vehicle crash. In fact, although people between the ages of 15 to 24 only represent 14 percent of the entire population of the U.S., males in that age group account for 30 percent of this country’s motor vehicle injury costs. That comes out to $19 billion every year. Females in that age group cause 28 percent, or $7 billion.

Although there has been much focus on the dangers of distracted driving aimed at teens, many safety advocates say that there needs to be an emphasis on the dangers of speeding as well. More than one-third of these fatal accidents are caused by speeding.

When asked why the family decided to share the video, the victim’s mother said, “If all this stops one person from making the same mistake, then some good has come from showing this video. I’m hoping it will have an impact on young people and make them see that a bit of fun can have such devastating consequences.”

If you have been injured in a car crash caused by a teen driver, contact an experienced Lake County car crash attorney to find out what legal steps you may be able to take against the teen driver and/or family. Call the law firm of Salvi & Maher, L.L.C. at 847-662-3303 today to schedule a consultation.

Sources:

http://news.yahoo.com/horrific-video-showing-pair-speeding-to-their-122046143.html

http://www.teendriversource.org/stats/support_teens/detail/57