Drivers can cause car accidents at any age. Student drivers may get into crashes when they are just 15. Elderly drivers may get into accidents in their 60s or 70s. Many car crashes also happen to working-age adults in their 30s or 40s, often during a commute.
However, you can look at car accident rates to find out which age group causes these wrecks the most. If you look at fatal car accident rates, what you will find is that teenagers have the highest rate out of any age group. If someone is between 16 and 19 years old, they are disproportionately likely to cause a fatal crash. Despite spanning just four years, the fatal accident rate is higher than for other age groups on the road.
What causes this difference?
There are a few ways to look at the reasons for this disproportionately high accident rate. One is to look at specific causes. Some teenagers cause accidents when they are texting and driving or otherwise distracted, while others do so when driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Some cause accidents when they run stop signs or red lights, and others cause rear-end accidents because they are driving aggressively, speeding or tailgating.
That said, a driver in their 30s could be speeding and a driver in their 60s could be tailgating, so these are not necessarily teen-only issues. The underlying problem for this age group is their lack of overall experience as drivers. They tend to get better and safer as they grow older, but this means those early years are very risky because they have not built up experience yet.
Have you lost a loved one in an accident or suffered injuries yourself? If you have, take the time to carefully look into your legal rights to financial compensation.
