Last weekend a serious auto accident involving a single vehicle killed a 16-year-old Charleston boy. The boy was a junior at Charleston’s First Baptist School, located in historic downtown Charleston. The boy was travelling along Riverland Drive on James Island when the wreck occurred. Authorities say the young man’s black 2000 Mercedes Benz overturned near George Griffth Boulevard around 7:30 p.m. last Sunday evening.
Charleston County Coroner said the high schooler died from severe injuries sustained from the accident around 11:30 p.m. that same night. Authorities also noted that the young man was not wearing his seat belt at the time of accident.
These types of incidents are extremely tragic, it is an unfortunate when a young person loses their life in a seemilngly preventable circumstance. Furthermore, the frequency at which fatal car accidents happen among teens is the most frightening aspect for many families, friends, and communities of teen drivers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than a third of the deaths in the age group. This next fact from the CDCP is almost unbelieveable, in 2009 eight teens ages 16-19 died every day from injuries sustained in car crashes. However, proper driver training and safe driving practices can help prevent fatal teen car accidents.
Among any group of drivers teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. Charleston auto injury attorneys mentioned this a while back, but given the sad nature of the aforementioned accident, revisiting the following comments seemed timely. Back in December 2005 the South Carolina Department of Public Safety launched an intiative to inform the state’s drivers that seat belt laws had changed. The change, which is still very much applicable, allows for law enforcement officers to stop a driver if they have a clear unobstructed view of the driver not wearing a safety belt or a child not secured in a restraint system. Not only will using a seat belt save drivers from fines, but it is also the easiest way to prevent deaths on South Carolina roadways.
