Teenagers Need to be Taught About the Dangers of Nighttime Driving

The following is a guest post from Chicago accident lawyers, Dolan Law Offices:   MADD, SADD, parents, and schools have spent years warning new teenage drivers about the dangers of the road.  We talk about the dangers of speeding, cell phone use, and having friends in the car.  We encourage new drivers to always wear seatbelts.  We bring in cars that have been involved in drunk driving accidents to warn teens about the consequences of their actions.  And we save lives by doing all of these things.  

However, we may be failing to tell new drivers about the single biggest risk that faces them.  Nighttime driving.   According to a new 10-year national study by the Texas Transportation Institute, nighttime driving is the single biggest risk for new drivers. The study found that darkness and fatigue make nighttime driving particularly dangerous for inexperienced drivers. In fact, the data analyzed by the study’s authors indicated that driving at night is the cause of more fatal car accidents for teenage drivers than any other cause.   Interestingly, the study also found that while 80% of teens identified drinking and driving as a dangerous activity, only 3% identified nighttime driving as a risk factor for accidents.   The results of the study should encourage parents, school groups, and concerned organizations to teach teens about the dangers of nighttime driving so that more lives can be saved.   The lawyers of Dolan Law Offices are accident lawyers in Chicago who are committed to helping Illinois accident victims with their recoveries.