• 14
  • November
    2011

Being a teenager has its own unique set of challenges, but among the most difficult - and the most dangerous - happens on the roadway.

Teenagers are far more likely to be involved in a Tampa car accident within the first month of having a driver's license than they are at any other time in their driving careers. The sharp drop in accidents following that first month, around a 50 percent decline according to a study by AAA, seems to indicate that lack of experience is the biggest factor in crashes early on.

Aside from new drivers' sheer lack of experience, there are a number of factors that may contribute to the high accident rate among new teenage drivers. When teens are first licensed, their driving habits may change significantly and suddenly.

For instance, whereas a young driver with a learner's permit must always be accompanied by a supervising adult, newly licensed drivers may find themselves overwhelmed by driving solo for the first time in their lives. In addition, new drivers tend to be relatively unfamiliar with roads, and may become lost or flustered more easily than most drivers. Driving at night or in foul weather is another new challenge for young drivers, not to mention the multitude of distractions that young drivers are often faced with - cell phones, rambunctious passengers and loud music, to name a few.

Another study of accidents among young drivers shows that simple mistakes common among new drivers account for a full 57 percent of the crashes occurring within that first month of driving: inattention, failure to yield, and failure to reduce driving speed.

Source: Sun Sentinel, "Teen drivers most at risk their first month on Florida roads," Steven Cole Smith