Speed Kills: Preventing Teen Driving Fatalities

Everything was going right. The school year had just ended; graduation was less than13 hours away. Then tragedy struck. Two students from the Brunswick High School graduating class of 2012 and three other teens were in a fatal auto accident. According to the Ohio Highway Patrol, one of the soon-to-be graduates lost control of his vehicle after he sped across railroad tracks. The car went airborne then hit a ditch and tree before if flipped over. The driver and two teen passengers were killed; two other passengers injured. The investigation into this accident is ongoing; although police know speed was a factor, the estimated speed has not been determined.

Teen drivers have caused more auto accidents than any other age group. They are not only inexperienced, but their immaturity makes them more likely to take risks behind the wheel. A speeding driver, especially and inexperienced one, is less able to negotiate turns and to steer around hazards. The faster a vehicle is going, the longer it will take to slow down or stop. The key to driving safely is not only experience, but responsibility.

Speeding and other risky behavior are potentially as dangerous as drinking and driving. Every year thousands of teens die in traffic accidents—often as a result of the teenage driver’s excessive speed, lack of experience, or inattention. As the school year comes to a close and college kids are returning home, our young adults will be spending more time driving and hanging out with friends. Parents should devote time to talk to their kids about safe driving and being a safe passenger. Speeding, talking or texting on cell phones, impaired driving, and loud music are just part of a long list of distractions that can cause a serious or deadly accident, even with the most experienced drivers. Passengers can also help lower the risk of serious and deadly accidents by limiting distractions, respecting the driver, and always wearing a seat belt. Young adults need to understand that their carelessness behind the wheel puts them and others at risk. Remind your kids that driving is a privilege and not a right. If your child is not mature enough to handle the responsibility and follow the rules of the road, then he/she should not be behind the wheel.

Mark Bello has thirty-five years experience as a trial lawyer and thirteen years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the lawsuit funding industry. He is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation which helps provide legal finance cash flow solutions and consulting when necessities of life litigation funding is needed by a plaintiff involved in pending, personal injury, litigation. Bello is a Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Sustaining and Justice Pac member of the Michigan Association for Justice, Member of Public Justice and Public Citizen, Business Associate of the Florida, Mississippi, Connecticut, Texas, and Tennessee Associations for Justice, and Consumers Attorneys of California, member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and the Injury Board.