Drivers in Their 20s Have the Most Accidents and Worst Injuries

A recent report on Florida crash statistics in 2017 shows that young drivers are involved in more accidents than are drivers 30 and older. Less expected, teenagers were actually in fewer accidents than their slightly older counterparts.

In fact, 20-something drivers were not only involved in the most auto accidents in 2017; their accidents were the most serious, with more fatal and injurious results than any other age group, according to the report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. When compared to drivers 15 to 20 years of age, the margins aren’t even close:

• Drivers ages 21 to 29 were killed in 410 accidents and incapacitated in 2,681 accidents.
• Drivers ages 15 to 20 were killed in 146 accidents and incapacitated in 1,153 accidents.

Even if you limit the 20-somethings group to the 21-to-24 age bracket, teens still have fewer accidents by comparison. And drivers 25 to 29 years old were in more accidents than were drivers 15 to 24 years of age put together.

Does this mean teenagers are better or, at least, safer drivers? Probably not. A more likely explanation is that teen drivers drive less and stay closer to home. Teenagers are still under parental restrictions, drive less often and for shorter trips and are not as socially active. People in their 20s are more likely to live independently, have jobs that require commutes and drive more often and for longer durations. They are also likely to have social lives that involve more frequent use of motor vehicles (and no curfew). Indeed, the fact that accidents in general and casualties in particular decrease as people 30 and older age indicates that practice and maturity make for improved driving.

Based on these statistics, a driver’s age can have bearing on the circumstances of an accident, such as whether it occurs after ours or after a social occasion where alcohol was consumed. The emerging popularity of designer drugs among younger people may have effect on users’ capacity to drive safely. Sleep deprivation and indifference to adverse driving conditions can also be common to youthful drivers.

If you have suffered an auto accident caused by another driver’s negligence or recklessness and were seriously injured, you may be entitled to recover money damages beyond those paid out by your own insurance company. State law requires that personal injury lawsuits be filed within four years of the date of an accident.

If you have questions about an automobile accident injury, an experienced Florida personal injury attorney at Largey Law Firm can help. Call us at 352.508.1485 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation at one of our offices in Clermont, Inverness and Tavares.