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Getting your license is exciting, but being a teen behind the wheel comes with real risks. The CDC reports that drivers between 16 and 19 years old are almost three times as likely to be in fatal crashes compared to older age groups. What’s more, with each additional teen or young adult passenger, the risk also increases.
Many of these accidents aren’t caused by wild, reckless stunts but by common driving mistakes that can happen in seconds. If you’re a new driver, being aware of the kinds of crashes most teens experience can help you stay alert and avoid becoming another statistic. Here are three accident types you need to seriously watch out for.
1. Rear Endings Caused by Split-Second Mistakes
Rear-end collisions are the most frequent type of accident for new drivers, especially in traffic or at stoplights. Teens often misjudge stopping distances or get distracted for just a second, which is all it takes to plow into the car ahead. Texting, adjusting the music, or even chatting with a friend can delay your reaction time, and if the road is wet, it only gets worse.
Recently, an 18-year-old in St. Louis met a fatal end after rear-ending a truck. News reports suggest that he was driving at a high speed when he lost control of the vehicle. This caused a T-Bone crash where the driver’s side smashed into the rear of the truck. Any St. Louis truck accident lawyer will tell you that these types of accidents are particularly violent.
TorHoerman Law notes that, unlike car accidents, collisions with trucks occur with much greater impact. So, to avoid rear-ending someone, maintain at least a three-second following distance, and give even more space if it’s raining or dark. Similarly, try to keep your phone in the glovebox or on Do Not Disturb. This sounds like basic advice, but it is life-saving nonetheless.
2. Side Swiping and Lack of Blindspot Awareness
Changing lanes seems straightforward, but for inexperienced drivers, it’s one of the most dangerous maneuvers. Teens may not always check their blind spots, and this can have disastrous consequences.
According to Tim Rankin, managing director of AA’s Accident Assist, blind spots have caused over 63 fatalities and over 1,100 serious injuries recently. When you consider that this data is just from the last 5 years, it makes you realize how important blindspot awareness is.
Similarly, side-swiping often happens when someone veers too far while turning, gets too close to parked cars, or makes a last-minute lane change. Teens and new drivers may not fully understand how to read another vehicle’s speed when merging or switching lanes.
It’s critical that they become aware of their lack of experience and handle lane changes with extra caution. If you’re driving a vehicle with wide blind spots, you’ll need to get used to physically turning your head and not just relying on mirrors. In this context, one of the best habits you can build is using the turn signal early and making lane changes slowly and with awareness.
3. Running Off The Road Due to Drowsiness
This might sound rare, but running off the road is another common cause of fatal single-vehicle crashes for teens. It usually happens when a driver gets distracted, drifts too far, or gets startled by an obstacle. The result? The car veers off into a ditch, hits a tree, or rolls over.
These crashes often happen on rural roads where there’s no barrier between the pavement and the ditch. If your wheel ever drops off the road’s edge, don’t jerk the wheel. Instead, ease off the gas, stay calm, and slowly guide the car back if you can. Similar to dealing with roll-overs and flips, overcorrecting is a natural instinct, but it’s also incredibly dangerous.
A major reason for these accidents is exhaustion. According to the NHTSA, drowsy driving was responsible for over 91,000 police-reported crashes every year. These crashes also led to over 800 fatalities and 50,000 injuries, which is regrettable.
People don’t expect young people to be tired, but teen drivers naturally get drowsy after long school or college days. This dramatically increases their risk of drifting off the road.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the highest risk for teen drivers?
The biggest risk for teen drivers is inexperience. They’re still learning how to react to sudden changes, like a car braking fast or a slick road. That lack of instinct, mixed with distractions like phones or friends, makes them more likely to crash.
2. What time is the highest risk for teen drivers?
Nighttime is the riskiest for teen drivers, especially between 9 pm and midnight. Visibility drops, fatigue kicks in, and it’s when a lot of social driving happens. That mix makes it way more likely for teens to make mistakes or not see danger coming.
3. What does it mean to get sideswiped?
Getting sideswiped means another car scrapes or crashes into the side of your vehicle while driving, usually during a lane change. It often happens when someone doesn’t check their blind spot or drifts out of their lane without realizing another car is right there.
Ultimately, a license in your wallet doesn’t make you invincible behind the wheel. It just means you’ve earned the right to start learning on the road. And while no one’s expecting teens to drive like seasoned pros, it’s still on them to understand how fast things can go wrong.