Teens Risks High for Car Accidents in Bangor and Elsewhere

To help reduce the risks of car accidents in Bangor and elsewhere, we’ll be using the entire month of April to raise awareness about National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. While this month-long campaign is used to urge drivers of all ages to curb the distractions behind the wheel, we’re going to focus this effort on teenage drivers. According to a recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, teenage drivers are most likely to use cell phones, text messaging devices and other electronic devices behind the wheel in Bangor and elsewhere. The study even took it a step further and determined that it’s the teenage girls who are most likely to engage in distractions, twice as likely as male teen drivers of the same age group in fact, according to Consumer Reports.Our Bangor injury attorneys understand that more than 3,000 people were killed on roadways across the U. . in 2010 because of distracted drivers. As a matter of fact, officials estimate that about a quarter of all auto accidents involve a distracted driver. These kinds of risks are much higher for teenage drivers, experts say. The recent study, conducted by AAA, looked at in-car video from more than 50 families in North Carolina and took notes on the novice drivers and their driving behaviors. Researchers noted distractions and how they affected driving behaviors. Texting and talking were the two top causes of distraction for these young drivers — found in nearly 10 percent of the video. Some of the results from these distractions included rapid acceleration, jerky braking and swerving. Unfortunately, the distractions didn’t stop at talking and texting. These young drivers were also commonly witnessed eating, drinking, grooming and adjusting controls behind the wheel. These actions were observed in nearly 20 percent of the video. All of these distractions were more common among female drivers. These drivers didn’t grow wiser with age either. Video footage determined that the older the teens got, the more likely they were to engage in dangerous distractions behind the wheel. Researchers believe that they did this because they eventually got more comfortable behind the wheel, ultimately feeling safer even as they were engaging in more dangerous driving behavior. Although girls were witnessed engaging in more kinds of distractions, it’s clear that both boys are girls are facing problems in the driver’s seat. Car accidents are a very serious threat to our teenagers. Car accidents continue to be the number one cause of death for this age group. In recognition of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month 2012, sit down with the teen driver in your family and talk to them about the dangers and the risks that are associated with this dangerous driving behavior. Your talk could help to save their life. Believe it or not, parents have been proven to be some of the most influential people in the lives of teenage drivers. Contact the experienced injury lawyer at Peter Thompson & Associates if you or the teen driver in your family has been involved in a distraction-related car accident in Bangor, Portland or elsewhere in the state. Call 1-800-804-2004 to schedule a confidential appointment to speak to an attorney about your rights. More Blog Entries: Officers Crackdown on Texting Teens to Reduce Risks of Car Accidents in Maine, Maine Injury Lawyer Blog, December 8, 2011