The way people sometimes talk about teen drivers, you’d think no one else ever takes a risk behind the wheel, while teens do nothing but take risks. Do they actually deserve this reputation?
Teens do take the most risks. Multiple studies have shown that, including a recent one carried out by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. But that study actually found that older drivers take many more risks than people assume.
In the study, drivers were asked if they’d run red lights, texted while driving, or broken the speed limit in the last month. Young drivers from 19 to 24 were the worst, as a full 88 percent of them said they had done so.
Comparatively, people tend to make jokes about elderly drivers being too careful while driving, staying well under the speed limit and being cautious about everything that they do. However, when those between 60 years old and 74 years old were asked, 10 percent of them said they’d sent an email or a text while driving. Even older drivers — over 75 years old — were asked about red light running, and more than a third of them (37 percent) claimed they’d done it in the past 30 days.
What this shows is that people are simply willing to take unneeded risks while driving. Young people may do it most often, but even the elderly are not opposed to it.
When you’re hit by a negligent driver who was testing, speeding, or running a red light, no matter that driver’s age, be sure you know if you have a right to financial compensation.
Source: CBS News, “Most drivers admit taking dangerous risks, survey finds,” accessed June 16, 2017
