Fatal Accident in Memphis Puts Spotlight on Teen Motorists
Last week, hundreds of Memphis students turned out to pay their respects to a teenager who was killed in a multi-vehicle accident. 14-year-old Walnut Grove-resident Meredith Fox was killed last Tuesday when the car she was riding in crashed on the Walnut Grove-Humphrey's flyover. According to news reports, the Isuzu Trooper struck a curb, and ended up flipping over. Another passenger continues to be hospitalized with serious injuries, while the 17-year-old driver sustained minor injuries.
Predictably, the accident has turned attention to teen motorists. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
- Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers. Sixteen-year-old teen drivers have a three times higher chance of dying in automobile accidents than other motorists.
- Teen drivers aged between 16 and 19 have the highest crash risk of any motorist on the roads.
- Teens also have some of the worst driving behaviors, including low rates of seat belt use, and high rates of distraction from passengers.
Teen safety on the roads has also influenced the Ford Motor Company. The automaker announced earlier this month that its MyKey safety feature, which helps parents restrict and control their teen's driving, will be standard on a number of models, including the Taurus. MyKey helps parents set maximum speed limits for their children, shuts down the ignition system when teen motorists and front seat passengers are not buckled up, and offers a host of other safety features
Whether MyKey will impact teen accident rates remains to be seen.
As a Memphis personal injury lawyer however, I believe that no technology can take the place of the right driver education for teen motorists. We send too many young, brash and inexperienced drivers out on the road, without the right kind of skill sets to handle real-life driving situations. Driver education programs in Tennessee could do with stronger and more aggressive reinforcement of safety messages for these vulnerable motorists. Ultimately, that is what will prevent accidents, and create a generation of smart and informed motorists in Memphis, and around Tennessee.
