Teen Drivers Admit to Near Misses
Filed under: Teens, In The News
She may look innocent, but watch out -- teen drivers are to be feared! Credit: Getty Images
Fresh statistics say 68 percent of them narrowly avoided a serious accident in the last year. And more than half say they've had more than one near miss during that time.
That less-than-comforting news comes from a survey of 2,000 students at 28 high schools by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).
USA Today reports 55 percent of the teen drivers blamed someone else for their near misses. Yet, 30 percent admitted to speeding, 21 percent said they were texting and 20 percent said they were distracted by a conversation with a passenger.
Such distracted driving causes 20 percent of accidents involving teens, according to USA Today, citing statistics from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance. Speeding accounts for 21 percent of the accidents involving teens.
The newspaper adds teens are four times more likely to get into accidents than older drivers. There's a lesson here for parents, Justin McNaull, director of state relations for AAA, tells USA Today.
"If you're not comfortable letting your teen drive in a certain situation, then don't," he says.
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