Decades of research shows that the vast majority of drivers in Georgia and around the country consider themselves to be highly capable behind the wheel. A study conducted more than 50 years ago reveals that even motorists who had been involved in single-vehicle accidents that police concluded were their fault rated their driving skills as good or excellent. Insurance companies rely on accident data and claims histories rather than self-assessments to determine how much of a risk drivers pose to other road users, and it is young drivers that emerge as the biggest driving hazard.
The most dangerous drivers of all are 16-year-olds according to car accident statistics. These drivers lack experience behind the wheel and are filled with the boundless optimism of youth, which are among the reasons why they crash about twice as often as any other age group. Some road safety advocacy groups have called for the mandatory retesting of senior citizens, but even motorists over the age of 80 are involved in accidents far less frequently than those teenagers. Drivers between the ages of 60 and 69 are the nation’s safest road users according to the data.
Accidents, tickets and statistics revealing that almost all crashes involve human factors do not seem to be enough to convince motorists that their skills may be lacking. When a team of researchers asked American drivers to rate their driving abilities, 90 percent of them rated themselves as safer than other motorists and 93 percent said that they had better than average driving skills.
Overconfident and reckless drivers may be held financially responsible when their actions behind the wheel cause harm to others. When the defendants in car accident lawsuits refuse to admit that they made mistakes, experienced personal injury attorneys may use police reports or evidence gathered during their own inquiries to establish negligence.