A 17-year-old female driver was killed Monday afternoon in West Jordan in a T-bone car accident. The accident occurred on New Bingham Highway near 5100 W where police say the teen driver pulled out in front of a pickup trick.The pickup T-boned the teen’s vehicle, causing immediate and fatal injuries to the young driver. Neither of the two passengers in the pickup truck sustained major injuries.
We express our condolences to the family and friends of the young woman killed in the crash.
Teens on the Road
It is well known that teen drivers have the highest average annual crash and traffic violation rate throughout the United States, and that traffic crashes are the leading killer of American teens. According to the 2008 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 15 young drivers and 6 of their passengers were killed in Utah car accidents.
There are several reasons for which teen drivers are more prone to accidents than other demographics. Several of these focus around a teen’s sense of overconfidence and invulnerability, including not wearing seat belts, risk taking, driving under the influence of substances, and poor decision making due to inexperience. One of the most interesting statistics is this: A teen’s relative risk of crash increases as the number of passengers in the vehicle increases. This is due to peer pressure, and is especially prevalent when young male drivers have young male passengers.