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Another Teen Driving Study: What Happens When No One Is Watching

Every day, the attorneys and staff at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys see the devastation caused by car accidents. As Kansas City auto accident lawyers, we fight to help victims of Missouri car wrecks get the justice and compensation that they deserve for their losses. But, we also believe that our job is to help prevent such accidents. This is why we publish articles about accident prevention, safety tips, and car accident studies.

Many of the teen driving information that we discuss is based on surveys of young drivers. The problem with surveys is that since they are based on individual reports, there is no way to determine how truthful the answers are. Researchers must assume that the survey participants aren't exaggerating or understating risky behavior.

Dr. Bruce Simons-Morton, a researcher at the National Institute of Health's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, found another way to study teen driving. He installed cameras, GPS devices and accelerometers in family cars used by 42 newly licensed teen drivers and their parents. The study, which was released in 2009, compared the habits of newly licensed teen drivers with those of their more experienced parents.

The equipment was able to measure specific behaviors that can lead to accidents such as high speed, swerves, sharp turns and rapid stops. What did Dr. Simons-Morton and his team find?

During the 18-month-study, the 42 teen drivers were involved in 37 car accidents and 242 near-accidents. In comparison, their parents were involved in two accidents and 32 near-misses.

The number of car accidents peaked when the teens started driving. As the teens gained experience, the accident rate dropped. Were the teens becoming safer drivers?

Maybe not. Dr. Simons-Morton found that teens still engaged in the risky behavior that caused accidents, but they got better at avoiding actual car crashes. What Dr. Simons-Morton's team could not determine was whether teens tended to swerve, make sharp turns and brake suddenly because they enjoyed the feeling of these maneuvers or because they lacked good driving skills. Whatever the cause, these risky behaviors are considered indicators of future car crash risk.

How can you help your child become a safe driver? Continue to drive together even after your child has received his license. Set rules that encourage safe driving, and limit driving under risky conditions.

Our Kansas City auto accident lawyers believe that knowledge is power. We provide information to help prevent accidents, and if you are ever injured in a Missouri teen driver car crash, we can also provide information about your rights and how to protect them. We have published a book that is available to all Missouri car crash victims, and you can get a free copy of 10 Essential Steps You Must Take To Protect Your Injury Claim simply by clicking the link at the top of the page.

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• Why are research and statistics that look at gender differences among drivers important? If I am hurt in an Independence, MO car accident, do the research and statistics matter?

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