Driving can be hard, and there are rules you have to follow in order to stay safe. How can I convince you to drive safely? 7.8% of fatal crashes are teens, and in half of those crashes, the teenagers were not wearing seatbelts. The crash rate for teens is four times higher than anyone else; why is this? Here are some of the causes of teen accidents: 

Teenagers tend to get distracted very easily, by texting, playing music, or simply just not paying close enough attention. 38% of teens have admitted to texting and driving, but let’s imagine if all teens admitted to texting and driving, the percentage would be much higher. 9% of teen drivers admit they were distracted and weren’t paying attention. 

Drunk driving is one of the biggest fatal crash causes. Though teens aren’t old enough to drink, they still account for many drunk driving crashes. 

The least amount of use of a seat belt comes from the teenage age group. Seat belts have saved almost many lives since 1975, but not wearing them has taken just as many lives. 9.6% of people do not wear their seatbelts, causing fatal injuries when accidents do occur. 

The annual death rate from car accidents is 37,000, but in addition, 2.35 million people are severely injured or disabled in car accidents. 1,600 of crash fatalities are children 15 and under, but ages 16-20, the crash fatalities are at an all-time high of 8000 per year. 

Having lost my best friend from a teen driving accident, I encourage everyone to stay off your phone, pay attention, don’t drink and drive, and wear your seat belt. That text you plan to send to your boyfriend or that snap you were about to send isn’t worth losing your life or taking someone else’s life. Being behind the wheel is a big responsibility that we should be taking very seriously, for your safety and others.