Study Confirms Dangers of Nighttime Driving | Seattle Car Crash Attorney

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I have seen countless teen driving accidents caused by texting or drinking. I suppose that since I am a Seattle car accident lawyer, Bellevue personal injury attorney, and the founder of Teens against Distracted Driving, one would assume that I would encounter more of these types of accidents than the general public. I also believed, like most of us, that texting and drinking were the biggest hazards to young drivers. However, a recent study suggests there may be an even greater risk for teen drivers.

According to the study conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute, driving at night is the single most dangerous driving behavior for teens.

The Institute looked at data collected between the years of 1999 and 2008. During this time, the number of overall traffic fatalities declined. However, there was no significant change in the number of nighttime car accident fatalities.

This comes as no surprise, considering most drunk driving accidents occur at night. About 40 percent of fatal drunk driving accidents involve teen drivers and many of these accidents happen at night.

Also, less visibility and exhaustion will make any driving distractions even riskier. For any inexperienced driver, the roads are just a little more dangerous after hours.

It is unrealistic to put a stop to all nighttime driving. However, drivers can significantly reduce their risk of an auto accident by avoiding all alcohol and other driving distractions. Especially at night!

This information is provided by Straight Talk Law, where you can order free information on Seattle auto accidents, buying Washington car insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by King County personal injury attorney and author Jason Epstein and his Seattle auto accident, Everett motorcycle accident, and Bellevue wrongful death law firm in Seattle, Washington.