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Teen Drivers Hit the Road this School Year Increasing Risks for Car Accidents in Indiana for Everyone
A recent teen car accident in Veedersburg killed two Fountain Central High School students. Three teens were involved in the single-car accident that happened on the Kingman Road, according to Commercial-News.
Two of the teens were airlifted to local hospital. One was transported by ambulance.
The Fountain County Sheriff’s Department reports that two of the teen motorists died shortly after arriving at the hospital. The third was last listed in stable condition at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Local sheriff deputies are investigating the accident.Our Northwest Indiana car accident attorneys understand that car accidents are the number of cause of death for teens in the United States. As the new school year begins, we encourage all parents to discuss the importance of safe driving habits with their teen drivers. Many of these fatal accidents can be prevented with proper driver education and practice.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor-vehicle accidents account for most accidental teen deaths. About eight teens ages 16-19-years-old died because of traffic accidents each day in 2009. If calculated per mile driven, young drivers of this age group are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a car accident than drivers in older age groups.
The CDC reports that there were approximately 3,000 teens killed in car accidents in the United States in 2009. Another 350,000 teens were injured in traffic accidents throughout the year.
Although these young drivers, ages 15- to 24-years-old, account for 15 percent of the entire U.S. population, they make up approximately 30 percent of the costs resulting from motor-vehicle injuries — or about $26 billion a year.
Here are some safe teen driving tips for parents to discuss with their young drivers:
-Set a good example. Make sure that you practice all of your own advice and safe driving habits when you’re driving with your teen in the vehicle.
-Allow your child to have plenty of supervised driving time. Practice helps them to be more prepared for the hazards they’re going to face on our roadways.
-Make sure you ride with them during various driving conditions. Ride with them during early morning hours, during the evening, in the rain and through the snow. All of this practice will help prepare them for unavoidable conditions.
-Don’t allow them to drive with any passengers for the first six months after receiving their license. Passengers can be some of the most influential distractions and contribute to the risks of a fatal car accident.
-Require that your child call or text you when they arrive and when they leave their destination.
-Give them a curfew. Accident risks increase during evening hours.
-Create a parent-teen driving contract between you and your teen to help lay down ground rules that everyone can agree on. Make sure you lay out the consequences of breaking one of these rules too!
Teen drivers are more likely to underestimate dangerous driving situations or not be able to recognize hazardous driving situations. This ability comes along with experience, so get out there and practice with your young driver. more If your child or your teen has been seriously injured because of a car accident, contact Burton Padove for a free consultation at 219-836-2200.
Additional Resources: 2 teens die in car accident, by Carol Roehm, Commercial-News More Blog Entries: NO TEXT AND DRIVING INDIANA ALERT, Indiana Injury And Family Lawyer Blog, July 1, 2011 Car Accident Tips, Indiana Injury And Family Lawyer Blog, May 2, 2010