As the new school year starts, the roads are just a little bit more dangerous. The added risk comes both from the fact that there are more kids walking to school and that there are more teen drivers commuting to and from class during busy times of the day. 
With the influx of young people on the roads, CBS is warning that motorists need to be extra watchful. Drivers have a responsibility to be safe on the roads and victims of motor vehicle collisions should consult personal injury lawyers in Fairfield County for help if a motorist causes a collision to occur.
Back to School Road Safety Issues
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show that motor vehicle collisions are a top cause of death for teenagers within the United States. While people between the ages of 15 and 25 represent just 14 percent of the population nationwide, they account for 30 percent of overall costs related to motor vehicle injuries among men and 28 percent of motor vehicle collision costs among young females. The cost of treating young men injured in collisions totals at $19 billion and the cost of treating young women injured in collisions totals at $7 billion.
One big cause of teen motor vehicle collisions is distracted drivers. Teens are more likely than other motorists on the road to drive distracted, with 15 to 19 year olds accounting for 10 percent of drivers distracted at the time of a crash. When teenagers drive themselves or their friends to school, they could be a menace on the roads. A teenager could kill passengers or others on the road if he focuses on his or her phone and not on paying attention to what is going on around him. With more young children also walking to school, distracted teen drivers could be especially dangerous as they may not notice young pedestrians.
Pedestrian crashes are another big reason why the roads get more dangerous during back-to-school times. As the CDC reports, around 25 percent of traffic fatalities among kids under the age of 14 occur in pedestrian accidents. Young adults are also the age group most likely to be involved in a pedestrian collision. Since there are 460 visits to the emergency room each day after pedestrian collisions and one death every two hours on average in a pedestrian accident, far too many young people are getting hurt. When kids walk to school during risk hour, the risk increases.
The National Safety Council advises drivers to be more cautious of kids on the roads as school starts. Drivers should be watchful of kids and should obey laws on stopping for school buses. Drivers should stop a safe distance behind buses.
Protecting teenagers and young children on their commute to school is an important goal for all motorists over the course of this school year, and CBS reports that around two dozen states have launched education initiatives as the school year starts to encourage motorists to be safe on the roads.
A Fairfield County personal injury lawyer at Vishno Law Firm can help after a collision. Call 888-222-1688 today.