Increased Amount of Teen Accidents During Summer

Watch out! It’s summertime, and many inexperienced young drivers will be spending more time behind the wheel on city streets and highways across North Carolina.

North Carolina Accidents

Despite dramatic improvements in crash rates for young drivers during the last two decades, teen motorists continue to be a risk to others on the road, especially during the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when the number of deaths from teen-related wrecks typically rises.

A new report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows 371,645 people sustained injuries and 2,927 died in crashes involving a teen driver in 2013.

Traffic safety researchers say teens are involved in traffic accidents at a higher rate than any other age group for various reasons, but mainly due to inexperience and youthful exuberance. While it makes sense to focus on safety throughout the year, during the summer months, when many teens are out of school and likely to be spending more time driving, extra awareness is needed.

In fact, AAA’s analysis of the federal traffic accident data found an average of 220 teen drivers and passengers lost their lives in car accidents in the summer months of 2013, up 43 percent compared to the rest of the year.

Furthermore, the AAA Foundation analyzed police-report crash data for drivers ages 15 to 19 from 1994 through 2013 and found:

  • Sixty-six percent of the people killed in teen-driver crashes are someone other than the young motorist.
  • Sixty-seven percent of those injured in teen-driver wrecks are someone besides the teen motorist.
  • Almost half of those who sustained injuries were in another car.
  • Seventeen percent of those hurt were riding in the teen driver’s vehicles.
  • Nearly 30 percent of those killed in teen-driver crashes were in another vehicle.
  • Twenty-seven percent of fatal victims were passengers in the teen driver’s vehicle.
  • Ten percent of those killed were others such as pedestrians and bicyclists.

Making Headway

It is encouraging to see that teen drivers are involved in substantially fewer fatal accidents than two decades ago.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatalities in crashes involving drivers ages 15 to 20 in North Carolina fell by more than 50 percent from 2004 to 2013, with improvements made each year.

In comparison, all fatal crashes across North Carolina decreased by 13 percent during the same period.

Graduated Licensing

AAA believes tools such as graduated driver licensing laws in North Carolina and many other states lead to reductions in injuries and death rates among young motorists.

In North Carolina, a person between 15 and 18 years of age seeking a learner’s permit must complete a state-approved driver education course with at least 30 hours in the classroom and six hours of professional driving lessons, according to education4drivers.com.

Drivers with a limited permit must have a parent or grandparent in the car or an appointed driver with a valid license and at least five years of driving experience. A 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. restriction is in place for the first six months, and all use of cell phones is prohibited.

After upgrading to a limited provisional license, a young motorist is prohibited from driving alone between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless a supervising driver is in the vehicle next to them. No more than one passenger is allowed in the vehicle unless it is an immediate family member.

Every person in the vehicle must be wearing seat belts, and young drivers are prohibited from using cell phones while driving except in emergencies.

Young drivers can obtain a full provisional license if they observe those restrictions for six months and don’t commit any traffic violations during the period.

Still, no cell phones are allowed for full provisional license holders in North Carolina until they turn 18 and get a full driver’s license, according to education4drivers.

Take Parental Precautions

Having a heart-to-heart talk with teens about the privileges and responsibilities of driving is challenging. Often, young drivers think they’re ready to hit the streets as soon as they turn 16.

The National Safety Council offers these tips for parents:

  • Keep a curfew: Even though graduated driver licensing sets curfews, make sure your teen driver follows them and consider keeping one even after they obtain a full provisional license.
  • Practice helps: Before they go live on the streets, in addition to testing required by the state, ride with them during daylight hours to give helpful pointers and add practice time at night and in inclement weather.
  • Make them buckle up: It’s required by law and will help cut down on injuries in case of an accident.
  • Prohibit cell phone use: Driving and texting or talking on a cell phone is considered as dangerous as drunk driving because it diverts the eyes, hands, and mind from the task of driving.
  • Set rules: Make a written agreement with expectations and penalties such as taking away the keys for violations.
  • Remember the dangers: Car crashes are the number one killer of teens in America, claiming the lives of thousands of young drivers every year. Discuss the risks of drinking, smoking, and drug use, along with the danger of operating a motor vehicle.

Being a good parent means keeping the lines of communication open. Stressing driver safety lets your children know you care about them and understand the awesome responsibility that comes with driving. Don’t let them turn into another teen car-crash statistic during the dangerous days of summer.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Contact Us Today

Free Consultation
Call one of our Operators 24/7
(800) 351-3008

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By entering your phone number, you agree to receive text messages and updates via SMS. Message and data rates may apply.

Practice Areas

Related Posts

Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

Join our newsletter and get 20% discount
Promotion nulla vitae elit libero a pharetra augue