Important News from Your Texas Accident Lawyer
Teen driving deaths up sharply in 1st half of 2011, especially in TX
Posted on Feb 18, 2012
Houston injury attorneys note that the Governors' Highway Safety Association has issued a report revealing a disturbing upward trend in teen driving fatalities in the first half of 2011. The report's preliminary data indicates that 211 16- and 17-year-old drivers died during that period. The sobering number shows an increase in fatalities of 11%, a substantial rise over the same period in 2010. Texas had the largest number of these fatalities with 48.
The increase is particularly troubling since it reverses an 8-year downward trend in teen driving fatalities that started in 2003. Teen traffic fatalities hit their lowest point in 2010 with an overall number of 408 (compared to a total number of 1,015 in 1995). Coupled with NHTSA data suggesting a drop of 1.6% in the overall number of traffic fatalities, the data indicates that teens are over represented in fatal traffic accidents.
Some of the initial downward trend in teen driving fatalities might coincide with the move towards phased-in licensing, which requires teens to earn their driving licenses in gradual steps. But our Houston injury attorneys point out that the sharp increase in teen fatalities coincides with reports detailing a strong upward trend in driver distraction in the past couple of years, particularly with regard to texting while driving.
Today's "smart" phones make it more tempting and easier than ever to "multitask" while driving. And the pressures of one's peers that demand immediate responses to their communications make it harder to turn off or ignore the phone while driving. But it takes only a split second's distraction to suffer a fatal accident. If a vehicle up ahead stops or swerves suddenly, and a driver's attention is on a text, that driver might send no more texts forever.
The Houston injury attorneys at Denena & Points are troubled by the data suggesting a steep upward trend in teen traffic fatalities, especially as Texas seems to form the very center of the trend. Parents now have new tools to help them keep an eye on their teens' driving habits. And TxDOT is conducting a vigorous campaign to encourage teens to buckle up and drive safety. Our Houston injury attorneys hope that use of these new tools and attention to the TxDOT campaigns, coupled with teens' own zest for life, can curb the upward trend in traffic fatalities and send the numbers plunging once again.
For Houston area parents concerned about the potential for traffic accidents and what to do afterwards, we offer our essential handbook on the steps to take following a serious Houston wreck. Download it for free here on our website.
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