Residents of Western Pennsylvania may be surprised to learn that summer, not winter, is the most dangerous time of year to be driving on roads throughout the nation. More specifically, a study recently conducted by Driving-Test.org determined that the month of July is the worst. This is particularly true where teen drivers are concerned. While July was found to be the month when the most fatal car accidents occurred, that month, along with August and September, account for more than 27 percent of such incidents.

In reaching these conclusions, the study relied upon data on fatal car accidents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, collected over a six year period beginning in 2005.

While it is of course possible for drivers of any age to be involved in a fatal crash, those involving teens often make the news. There is good reason for this. Nationally, these accidents account for 35 percent of deaths of individuals between the ages of 15 and 20. As is the case in all automobile accidents, there are many factors that could lead to such an incident occurring. For teens, these include:

• Drunk driving
• Distracted driving
• Failing to obey traffic signals and signs or look for hazards
• Driving too fast

The last three on the list account for more than 75 percent of these accidents. Interestingly, drunk driving was not identified as a huge problem when it came to these events occurring involving teens.

Regardless of the age of a driver involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident, it is possible that civil lawsuits could be filed against negligent parties who are to blame for such crashes. While personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits cannot undo the harm that has been inflicted, the compensation that may be secured in a successful lawsuit could have a big impact on the lives of the survivors.

Source: News Inferno, "July the Most Dangerous Month for Teen Drivers," F.A. Kelley, July 10, 2013