It’s possible for any driver to be distracted behind the wheel, and distraction causes accidents every day. No age group is exempt from this risk.
However, studies have found that teen drivers — those from 15 to 19 years old — are distracted more than any other age group. When asked if they were distracted at times as they drove, 60 percent of teens said that they were. A full 25 percent said they would send a response if they got a text message while they were in the car.
It can even go beyond mere texting. In fact, one study showed that a full 14 percent of people said they’d opened and read email messages while they were driving.
The results can be deadly. Every day, 11 teens are killed in accidents that are traced back to texting and driving. One study said that a driver who was texting was 23 times as likely to be involved in an accident as a driver who was paying attention to the road. Distracted driving accidents took 3,328 lives in 2012 alone, and another 421,000 people suffered injuries.
Driving can be boring, especially when taking the same route to work or school every day, and some people text to break up the boredom. Others just get overconfident and think it will be fine to send one quick message.
No matter the reason, it’s clear that texting and driving is a serious problem, leading to accidents, injuries and death year in and year out. If you have been hit by a distracted driver, it may be possible to seek out financial compensation.
Source: Elite Daily, “How A Car Accident Impacted My Life And Changed Me Forever,” Kirsten Corley, accessed March 24, 2017