Some of the most dangerous drivers in Florida are teenagers, mostly due to their inexperience and being easily distracted. This makes teenagers the riskiest and most expensive to insure, and parents who add their children to their insurance policies may see their premiums increase by as much as 84 percent. Information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the most common cause of death for a teenager is a car accident.
The most recent data available is from 2010, and the top three causes of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24 were car accidents, firearm homicide and unintentional poisoning. However, fatalities from automobile crashes were so prevalent that they made up almost as many deaths as those caused by both firearms and poisoning. As young people age and get more experience behind the wheel, they are less likely to be the cause of a collision.
The rate of deaths related to car accidents is on the decline for teens. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, between 1975 and 2010, the number of teen fatalities due to automobile accidents fell by over 60 percent. This is likely due to improved drivers’ education classes and increased safety requirements for automobiles. This decline may also be due to state restrictions on teen driving, such as graduated licensing systems and limiting when young adults can drive and the amount of passengers in a car.
Car accidents can lead to enormous physical harm, and people may end up with large medical bills and not being able to go to work. A lawyer may be able to help victims of car accidents understand their options and pursue compensation.
Source: Market Watch, “Have a teen driver? Open your wallet“, Jennifer Waters, July 11, 2013