Every year in the United States, around 40,000 people tragically pass away in car accidents. With numbers like that, it’s clear that this can happen to anyone and it can happen at any age. This is why things like defensive driving and always wearing your seat belt are so important. You never know when someone else is going to make a mistake and hit your car.
However, the stats also make it clear that some age groups are more impacted than others. Knowing your risk level can help you consider safety in that light.
Young drivers and the elderly
By far, the highest fatal accident rates belong to teen drivers, those aged 15 to 19 years of age, and to the elderly, or those over 80 years of age. It’s worth noting that the total number of fatalities is still low for the elderly, but the rates are high. There are simply fewer people in this age group, but they face a high level of risk.
Now, the reasons for these high rates are quite different. With young drivers, the problem is often that they drive dangerously. They tend to be risk-takers, they often break the speed limit and they lack experience, so they’re bound to make more mistakes. They are themselves the reason for the high rate.
The elderly, though, are not typically risk-takers and they have a lot of experience. Their high rate is more due to the fact that advanced age makes it harder to survive injuries, even when they’re “minor” enough that a younger person would have lived.
Either way, if you have lost a loved one, you must know how to seek proper compensation. This is a difficult time, but you do have options.