NIH: teen drivers more dangerous with a license than with permit
A study from the National Institutes for Health shows that teen drivers become more dangerous in the first three months of being licensed when compared to the last three months of having a learner’s permit. In fact, the risk for a crash or near-miss increases eight times from one period to the other. Louisiana motorists and parents may want to know why this is the case.
NIH researchers, together with those from Virginia Tech, analyzed the driving behaviors of 90 teen participants from the time they obtained their permit to the end of their first year as licensed drivers. Software in each vehicle recorded speed and braking, and dash cams monitored both the driver and the road.
Teens, soon after getting their license, were found to engage in unsafe driving by making severe turns, braking harshly, and accelerating too quickly. This may be due to the sudden lack of parental supervision, so researchers believe that a gradual withdrawing of supervision may be better for teens. That way, teens can learn certain skills on their own without wholly lacking support.
Illinois is one state that has lengthened the time between teens obtaining their permit and their license. As a result, from 2007 to 2017 the number of teen driver fatalities was roughly halved (from 155 to 76).
Teens and adults alike have a duty to be safe on the road, and when speeding or distracted driving or some other form of negligence leads them to crash into another car, they will be deemed at fault. Those who incur a personal injury in a car accident and wish to file a claim against the guilty driver’s auto insurance company may want to schedule a legal consultation. A lawyer may assist with negotiations and, if a settlement isn’t achieved, litigation.
Tags: Car Accidents
