Every Los Angeles car accident lawyer is aware of the fact that teenage motorists who are traveling with teen passengers in their car are at a high risk of accidents. Two new studies confirm this.
The 2 separate studies which were conducted by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance finds that teenage motorists driving with teenage passengers were more likely to be distracted in the seconds before the crash, compared to teenagers driving alone.
The first study included a total of 198 teenage motorists. The researchers found that teen motorists who were more likely to drive with multiple teen passengers in the vehicle identified themselves as ‘thrill seekers.’ These motorists also perceived their own parents as being less able to set standards, or monitor their children’s activities. These teenage drivers were also found to have a poor perception of driving risks in general.
In the 2nd study, researchers analyzed a nationally representative sample of about 677 motorists. These drivers had been involved in serious automobile accidents. The researchers compared the risks of driver distraction and risk-taking behaviors just before an accident.
Among the teenagers who admitted that they were distracted just before the accident, 71% of male drivers and 47% of female drivers admitted that the distractions were directly related to the actions of the passengers.
Male teenage motorists were found to be 6 times more likely to perform an illegal driving maneuver just before an accident. These drivers were also found to be twice as likely to drive aggressively just before an accident, compared to teenage male motorists driving alone. This indicates that a male teenage motorist with teenage passengers has the highest accident risks.
