The human brain is not fully developed until some time in a person’s mid-twenties. For teenagers and other young adults, this means that the frontal lobe doesn’t work perfectly. They can still navigate their day-to-day lives, of course, but it does change the way that they think.
One thing that this can do, according to some medical experts, is make young people feel as if they are invincible. If you ask them about potential risks, they may admit that they know those risks exist. But they don’t really comprehend them in the same way that an older individual does. They don’t actually think there’s going to be a negative outcome.
So they’re more likely to take risks. Older adults may say that they don’t understand the risks or they don’t understand what they’re doing, but that’s only half right. They do know the risk is there, they just don’t think it is as dire or serious as an older person.
Why this could lead to a car accident
This is sometimes problematic when it comes to motor vehicle accidents because children start driving at 15 years old. At 16, they can get their driver’s license and drive without an instructor or a parent.
As you can see, this is still roughly 10 years away from full brain development. How much longer is that feeling of invincibility going to last? And how is it going to impact their decision-making in the car?
There are many different risks that young people may engage in behind the wheel. Some of them get involved in racing with their friends. Others will drink or use illegal drugs and then still get in the car, knowing that it’s illegal and dangerous but not really thinking that they’re going to get caught or cause an accident. Still others may simply tailgate or drive aggressively, when there’s no real reason to do so and it just makes an accident more likely.
Unfortunately, there is not that much that can be done to counter this. Explaining it can be beneficial for some young people, but there is still the chance that they will take risks and this can cause severe crashes that injure them, their passengers and other people on the road.
What options do you have?
If you’ve been hit by another driver and suffered serious injuries or lost a loved one, then you need to know about all the options you have to seek financial compensation.