One of the sad realities out on the roads is that motor vehicle accidents sometimes occur that take people’s lives. Tragically, many of the victims of fatal car accidents here in Missouri and the rest of the country are young people who had much of their lives still in front of them: teenagers.

According to a recent report from the General Motors Foundation, U.S. auto accidents killed 2,439 teenagers in 2012. The report said that this made traffic accidents the top killer of teens that year here in America. Over half of the teens that died in U.S. motor vehicle crashes in 2012 were behind the wheel at the time of the accident.

The one silver lining when it comes to recent statistics on teen traffic fatalities is that such deaths do seem to be going down. According to the above-mentioned report, the teen auto accident fatality total from 2012 was 56 percent lower than the 2002 total. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety statistics indicate that the 2012 totals also were down as compared to the 2011 totals.

While such drops are obviously a good thing, teen traffic death levels are still far too high. Thus, one hopes that preventing such fatalities remains a high priority.

One thing that can help in the prevention of such deaths is teens making sure to act safely and responsibly when in automobiles. This includes avoiding distractions when driving and always wearing a seat belt when driving or riding in a car.

Of course, the conduct of teens is not the only thing that can impact the likelihood of teen traffic fatalities occurring, so too can the conduct of motor vehicle drivers generally. Thus, safe driving among all drivers is another important component of preventing teen motor vehicle fatalities.

There are few things that are more tragic to a family than losing a teenage child in a traffic accident. In such circumstances, experienced personal injury attorneys can help a family with the legal matters related to the accident, so the family can focus their energies on emotionally supporting one another through this difficult time.

Source: Los Angeles Times, “Auto accidents are No. 1 cause of death for U.S. teens,” Charles Fleming, June 3, 2014