Traffic Fatalities Involving Teenagers Increased in 2012

By Grant Law Office on March 8, 2013

The Atlanta fatal car accident lawyers at The Law Offices of Wayne Grant, P.C., have seen the number of teenage driver deaths decrease for eight years in a row. But all that changed in 2011 when the nation experienced an increase in traffic fatalities among teen drivers. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reports that deaths of 16- and 17-year-old drivers increased by 19 percent during the first six months of 2012. The preliminary numbers from the second half of last year indicate that teenage driver deaths continued to rise as the year progressed.

Nationwide, 202 16- and 17-year-old drivers were killed between January and June of 2011. Over that same period in 2012, 240 young drivers were killed. There were 25 states that saw an increase in fatalities, 17 that actually saw a decrease in deaths, and eight states plus Washington D.C. that stayed the same.

Georgia was one of the states that actually saw a slight decrease in fatalities from six during the first half of 2011 to five in 2012.

There are many reasons why the number of traffic fatalities as a whole has been decreasing over the years. New cars have more safety devices than ever before. Therefore, when the number of teenage driver deaths is on the rise, it may reflect an increase in dangerous driving behavior. If you have a teenage driver in your family, it is advisable to teach your son or daughter to:

• Never use a cell phone while driving. Even hands-free devices can be dangerous because they take the driver’s attention away from the road.
• Limit the number of passengers in his or her car.
• Never drive while intoxicated or when fatigued.
• Drive under the speed limit and at a speed that is safe given roadway, traffic, and weather conditions.

The legal team at The Law Offices of Wayne Grant, P.C., has a long and successful track record of helping injured car accident victims protect their legal rights. Please contact our offices at (404) 995-3955 for a free consultation and a comprehensive case evaluation.