Read, Share, SAVE A LIFE!

From the desk of Christopher B. Renne, D.C., a Jacksonville, Florida based chiropractic physician.

Recently, children close to my family have perished in tragic auto accidents.  These unimaginable events have me the thinking how could I effect positive change in the world knowing what I know and having experienced through these families their pain of loss.  So I contacted my friends at Allstate Insurance and they provided me with some facts compiled by their sources which I have listed below in no particular order. 

Please carefully read these and share them with anyone you know who may have a teen driving in their household so that perhaps together we can prevent unnecessary tragedy.

TEEN DRIVING FACTS:

1.         Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens in America.

Car crashes caused far more teen deaths each year than homicide, suicide, cancer, and drugs. (1).

2.         Teen drivers have a crash rate three times those of drivers 20 years and older per mile driven. (1).

3.         A total of 2,823 teens aged between 13 and 19 died in motor vehicle crashes in 2012. (1)

4.         On average nearly 8 teens die each day in car crashes. (1)

5.         Teen motor vehicle crash death in 2012 occurred most frequently from 9 p.m. to midnight (1).

6.         Summer is the deadliest season for teens on the road. (1)

7.         Crashes involving teens cost society $26 billion each year (2).

*On a personal note that is a measure of dollar cost. The cost in heartache and despair can never be measured.

8.         Inexperience is a leading cause of teen crashes (2).

Of teens aged 13 through 19 who died in car crashes in 2012, 52% of drivers and 59% of passengers were not wearing a seatbelt (1).

9.         Of total crashes among 15 to 19-year-old drivers, distractions were involved.  21% were identified as using cellphones (5).

10.       Driver distractions were indicated for 16% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes for people under the age of 20 (3).

11.       With no adult passenger the risk of 16 or 17-year-old drivers being killed in a car crash increases 44% with one passenger under the age of 21. * It doubles with two young passengers, and quadruples with three or more young passenger* (4).

12.       Speeding is a factor in one of every three teen fatal crashes (3).

Finally among drivers ages 16-19 killed in 2012, 23% had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08% or higher (1).

I commend you for reading all the way to the end. I wish this could have been a more positive message today.

Thank you to Mandy Bowers and Kelby Hoden of Mandy Bowers Allstate Agency here in Jacksonville, Florida for helping compile this information. 

Christopher B. Renne, D.C.

Chiropractic Physician

www.activechirocenter.com

jaxchiro@gmail.com

Sources:

1.         Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2012 teen fatality fax.

2.         National Safety Council.

3.         National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

4.         “Teen driver risk in relation to age and number of passengers”.

5.         Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.