Many people assume that young drivers are involved in significantly more collisions than older drivers and that teens are responsible for causing a high rate of traffic crashes. Is this information true, or is it a common misconception? Younger drivers do often have less experience than older drivers, which often means that they have more difficulty responding safely and appropriately when a road hazard arises. In addition, young drivers, and teens in particular, may be more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors behind the wheel such as texting while driving, or speeding. However, these factors do not necessarily mean that teen drivers have more car accidents than motorists in other age groups.
What age has the most car accidents? Based on the number of accidents alone, drivers aged 25-34 have more accidents than motorists of other ages. Yet the total number of accidents does not necessarily tell the whole story. Our California car accident lawyers can provide you with more information.
Drivers Aged 25-34 in the United States
According to data from the National Safety Council (NSC), drivers between the ages of 25-34 are involved in more non-fatal collisions than motorists in any other age group, and this age group of drivers also has the highest rate of fatal crashes. At the same time, drivers between the ages of 25-34 also make up a larger portion of licensed drivers than motorists in other age groups.
Drivers who are between the ages of 25-34 account for nearly 17 percent of all licensed drivers, putting that age group second only to drivers between the ages of 55-64, who account for 17.2 percent of all licensed motorists in the United States. To put the number of accidents in perspective:
- Drivers between the ages of 25-34 accounted for just over 23 percent of all non-fatal motor vehicle collisions.
- Compared with drivers aged 55-64 — an age group that also has a high number of licensed motorists — the drivers in the younger age group are involved in significantly more non-fatal crashes.
- Motorists in the age group of 55-64 are involved in just over 12 percent of all non-fatal accidents.
Yet it is important to look at these statistics in relation to younger age groups, as well.
Considering Teen and Young Adult Drivers
What about teen and young adult drivers? Consider the following:
- Drivers aged 16-19 account for about 3.5 percent of licensed drivers.
- Motorists aged 20-24 account for about 7.4 percent of all licensed drivers.
- Drivers in that 16-19 age group accounted for nearly 9 percent of all reported non-fatal crashes and 6 percent of fatal accidents.
- Drivers in the 20-24 age group accounted for 13.4 percent of all reported non-fatal collisions and 11.2 percent of reported fatal crashes.
Accordingly, you can see that young, licensed drivers do account statistically for a high percentage of crashes in relation to the total number of licensed drivers. These statistics do not even account for motorcycle crashes and the average age of motorcyclists involved in collisions. As data from the Insurance Information Institute (III) reveals, rather than classifying motorcycle accidents based on the age of the rider it may be more useful to assess these crashes based on the type of accident and both the type of road and time of day that collisions normally occur.
Contact a California Car Accident Attorney
If you need help seeking compensation after a car accident, you should get in touch with a California car accident lawyer who can help. Contact the Oaks Law Firm today for assistance.