Fatal car accident takes life of 16-year-old boy

A Findlay, Ohio boy was pronounced dead at the scene of a fatal car accident on Sunday, mirroring many of the cases we see as Toledo, Ohio personal injury attorneys. The 16-year-old lost control of his SUV and struck a tree on Liberty Township Road 89 in Hancock County, according to the Toledo Blade. Unfortunately, the numbers of car accidents caused by 16-year-olds is much greater than those caused by older drivers. According to USA Today, 16-year-old drivers are involved in fatal crashes almost five times more than those drivers 20 years or older, and an average of two Americans die every day in vehicles driven by 16-year-olds. Researchers are finding that it is not lack of experience or driving skills that is causing these fatal accidents, it is the immaturity of the brain affecting young drivers' decision making skills and impulse controls. At age 16, the part of the brain responsible for impulses and decisions is still developing, and will not reach full potential until age 25, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Parents around the country are pushing for an older minimum driving age, to try and prevent personal injury resulting from teen car accidents. They feel that if the driving age is moved to 17 or 18, the driver can gain more maturity and make better decisions before getting behind the wheel. As always, encourage your teen drivers to be smart out on the roads to keep everyone, including passengers, safe. For more information on how to keep your teen driver safe, check out our blog addressing the dangers of distracted driving.