Maine is proudly participating in the 2011 National Teen Driver Safety Week, which is taking place this week through the 22nd, according to MarketWatch. During this time, parents are urged to talk with their newly-licensed drivers about safe-driving habits to help reduce their risks of a car accident in Portland, Maine, and elsewhere throughout the state.Recently, the state was presented with thousands of dollars from the Ford DSFL grant to help to educate teen drivers about safe traveling habits. The funds will be used by state officials to conduct activities and events throughout the state this fall to help with the teen driver education process.
Our Maine car accident attorneys understand that teen driving habits are a frequent topic of conversation among safe-driving advocates nationwide. With inexperience comes a serious risk of injury or death on our roadways. To help our young drivers gain confidence and experience behind the wheel, parents are urged to ride along with teens even when they possess an unrestricted license. Positive reinforcement can help boost their skills behind the wheel, and more supervised driving time can help to keep them safe on our roadways.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently conducted and released its findings the risks that young drivers face.
The study concluded that teen drivers face the highest risks for an accident during their first 30 days of unrestricted driving. These risks are 50 percent higher than the risks they face during their first year of unrestricted driving, and about twice as high as the risks they face during their first two years of unrestricted driving.
Researchers conducted the study by installing cameras in the cars of teen drivers in North Carolina. About 60 percent of the accidents during a driver’s first 30 days of unrestricted licensing that a teen was found to be partially at-fault were caused by speeding, failing to yield and driver inattention.
Researchers also discovered that the involvement of speed decreased as a driver’s experience increased.
“We know that young drivers’ crash rates decrease quickly as they gain experience,” said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger.
Some researchers believe that teens are at such high risks during the first 30 days because of the way they were taught to drive. Many teens are allowed to drive only with parents through familiar roadways on routine trips in low-risk situations. None of this driving practice prepares them for what they will face on our roadways. Parents are urged to ride along with their teen driver in a number of scenarios, including nighttime driving, driving in the rain, driving in the snow, driving in heavy traffic, etc. This is the best way to help to prepare them for the real world of the road.
We urge that you use National Teen Driver Safety Week to talk with your teen driver about the importance of safe-driving habits and the consequences of bad ones. Unfortunately, car accidents continue to be the number one cause of death for teenagers in the U. . According to AAA, there were more than 730,000 drivers between the ages of 15 and 18 who were involved in police-reported accidents in 2009.
Go ahead and talk to your teen driver this week. Let them know about the importance of safe driving habits and about the consequences if they don’t pay close attention at the wheel. Your talk about these habits could potentially save their life on our roadway.
Contact the experienced injury attorneys at Peter Thompson & Associates if you or your teen driver has been involved in a car accident in Bangor, Portland or in any of the surrounding areas. The advice and assistance of an attorney can help you get any compensation from your insurance company in which you may be entitled. Call 1-800-804-2004 to make a appointment to speak to an attorney about your case.
More Blog Entries:
October Kicks Off Season for Deer-Related Car Accidents in Maine, Maine Injury Lawyer Blog, October 14, 2011
Advocates Step Up to Help Curb Distracted Driving Car Accidents in Portland and Elsewhere, Maine Injury Lawyer Blog, September 27, 2011