The Three Most Common Driving Mistakes Made by New Teen Drivers in North Carolina

Recently, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety published a study on new teen drivers in North Carolina. They found that newly-licensed high school students are significantly more prone to car accidents during their first month of driving solo. In addition to discovering that teens are fifty percent more likely to be involved in an auto accident during the first 30 days of having a driver's license, the research also revealed that teens are more prone to making certain common driving mistakes.
The study, which placed small cameras on the cars of almost 1,700 North Carolina high school students new to driving, observed how teens drove, who was in their car, how teen car accidents occurred, and whether or not driving skills improved over a two-year period.
Researchers found that teens were most likely to struggle with the following three traffic violations:
  • Speeding
  • Driver inattention
  • Failure to yield
Researchers also noted that new teen drivers struggled with correctly executing left turns. These turns were often taken too sharply, not sharply enough, or in front of oncoming traffic. In addition, the cameras caught many teens talking on their cell phones, texting, or otherwise using a mobile device while behind the wheel. All of these behaviors improved as the drivers gained experience on the road.
What can the parents of teen drivers do to minimize teen car accidents caused by these issues? Those who conducted the study noted that after teens received their license, their parents were only in the car as a passenger about 3 percent of the time. They believe that greater parental observation after teens receive their license may alleviate the issue of new teen driver traffic accidents.
Read about the Top 3 Causes of all Auto Accidents.

Have you or your teen been involved in a North Carolina car accident? Speak to a Raleigh personal injury attorney today about your case.