This blog has previously written about how teenagers are more likely to be involved in car accidents. They just don’t have the same experience as someone 20 years older. And with high schools all around North Carolina beginning to open for the year, it’s important to remember that there will be many more teen drivers on the roads.
To coincide with the start of the school year, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol will be increasing its monitoring of school zones. A spokesman for the police said officers would be around areas where car accidents are more likely.
According to the University of North Carolina Highway Research Center, one in every four 16-year-old drivers in the state will get into a car accident each year, and half of those accidents will cause an injury or death. Additionally, someone who is 16 years old is three times as likely to die in a car accident.
According to the Highway Patrol, in Richmond County, which is close to Fayetteville, 2011 saw a 38 percent increase in injuries for drivers between 15 and 19. Some of this could stem from distracted driving. It’s important for teen drivers to remember that any driver younger than 18 cannot use a cellphone while driving.
A lot of this seems like common sense, but every year more tragic reports of preventable accidents fill the news. Parents have a responsibility to make sure their children are being safe, responsible drivers, or they could be held accountable if their child causes a fatal accident.
Source: YourDailyJournal.com, “Highway Patrol urges safety in school zones,” Mallory Brown, Aug. 22, 2012