NEW VEHICLE SAFETY MEASURE TARGETING TEEN DRIVERS
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 5,000 American teenagers die each year in car-related accidents. The rate of crashes, fatal and non-fatal, per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59 and is three times greater than for drivers ages 65 to 69. In fact, researchers from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have found that car accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers. The U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) reported that 3,490 drivers in this age group died in motor vehicle crashes in 2006 and an additional 272,000 were injured. Drivers under 20 years of age accounted for 12.9 percent of all the drivers involved in fatal crashes and 16 percent of all the drivers involved in police-reported crashes.
In response to such chilling statistics, at least one major automotive manufacturer has created new technology that allows parents to set limits on the vehicle their child is operating. The new feature, which will be available on many 2010 models, is essentially a special key with a computer chip which will limit the teen driver to 80 mph. Parents can also program the key to limit the stereo system's volume and to sound continuous warnings if the driver is not wearing a seat belt. Parents can even program the key to sound a chime if the teen driver exceeds a certain speed limit.
Anne McCartt, IIHS senior vice-president for research, noted that research performed by IIHS has shown that speeding is a major factor in teen crashes, especially teen drivers with limited driving experience. As such, she thinks a system that attempts to correct the speeding behavior of teenage drivers has the potential to improve safety. The IIHS understands the adage that speed kills.
Hopefully this new technology will become standard on every new car made or sold in the US. There can be no question that such limits will improve the safety of our teen drivers and their passengers, as well as those of us sharing the roadways with them.
Our firm has considerable experience in litigating car accident cases. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, please contact the Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll.
