The term “accident” is a misnomer in many situations, since the majority of these “accidents” were actually highly preventable. One (or more) person involved in such a travesty may have been distracted, someone may have not been wearing their seatbelt, drugs or alcohol could have been involved, or maybe a driver took a risk in poor weather when it wasn’t necessary. Just ask an accident attorney about the stories they’ve heard, and it’s heartbreaking to see how many deadly or injury-causes “accidents” happen every day.
However, college students are more often in these collisions than drivers in any other age group. You don’t need to be attending college for your age alone to play a factor. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part teens and drivers in their early 20s are involved in collisions that are preventable. Here are a few reasons why:
1. They’re new drivers
When you’re new at something, including driving, you’re not going to be as good as someone who’s been practicing for 20 years. There are tools to better your driving, such as the latest Maryland app featured by the Herald Online, but how many young adults are going to use this? Unfortunately, everyone else on the road simply needs to be aware and deal with new drivers.
2. They more often drink and drive
At the very least, the majority of DUI incidents involve drivers in this age category. Nobody is magically grown up at the age of 18, and anyone can get behind the wheel after drinking, but many young adults are still in that “invincibility” stage. Add in peer pressure and the fact that they probably don’t live far from where they’re drinking, and it’s a recipe for disaster. There are organizations like College Drinking Prevention tackling this issue, but there’s still a long way to go.
3. They’re more distracted
Americans in general text at the wheel, check Facebook, their email, groom, eat and do a plethora of other things. However, college kids are more bombarded by smartphone entertainment than any other generation. They’re also more likely to have cars packed with friends. Distracted driving means more accidents.
4. They have high stress levels
College is stressful, and at this age your stress management techniques aren’t that great. It’s a form of distraction, and college students juggle it around the clock.
If your child is going to college, your best bet is no car for them at all (or one with high safety rankings).
