Serious accident in Wolfsburg: 17-year-old without a driver's license seriously injured!

Serious accident in Wolfsburg: 17-year-old without a driver's license seriously injured!

On Sunday night, a serious traffic accident occurred in the Nordsteimke district of Wolfsburg, which once again illustrates the dangers of younger drivers in traffic. Loud NDR A 17-year-old was seriously injured in the incident. He was traveling alone and without a driver's license in a relative's car. Apparently he left the road, collided with a guide post and then drove through a ditch until the vehicle finally came to a stop in front of a pine tree.

The quick deployment of the automatic emergency call system in the car was a stroke of luck because it immediately informed the fire department, who quickly went to the scene of the accident. The teenager was taken to hospital while police are now investigating whether he may have a driving license for accompanied driving.

Young people behind the wheel

The accident highlights the alarming statistics about young drivers that are regularly published by ADAC accident research. It's hard to believe that drivers aged 18 to 24 are twice as likely to be involved in accidents as older road users. An analysis of 18,000 data sets from ADAC Luftrettung from 2005 to 2020 provides information about the dangers. 29 percent of accidents in this age group are solo accidents, which underlines the problem with the driving behavior of these young people. Excessive speed, insufficient driving experience and unintentional lane changes are common causes.

Over 76 percent of accidents involving young drivers occur outside of urban areas, especially on country and federal highways. Warning signs cannot be overlooked here: errors when turning or crossing, which often lead to collisions, are commonplace. In addition, these young drivers are often not wearing a seat belt, which significantly increases the severity of injuries if an accident occurs.

A critical age group

Accident statistics begin loudly at the age of 16 Traffic Watch to increase dramatically, especially when young people are 18 years old and driving alone. It is shocking to see that 15.5 percent of injured and 12 percent of fatal road users belong to this age group, even though they only make up 7.5 percent of the total population. The highest number of accidents often occurs on Fridays and Sundays, with a significant increase between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.

It is particularly tragic that almost one in six drivers killed in this group lost their life in the late evening and night hours on weekends. Statistics also show that 66 percent of accidents involving young adults involve car drivers or passengers.

The danger that young drivers expose themselves to is enormous. Fortunately, however, the proportion of accidents caused by young drivers is slowly but steadily declining: in 2008 it was over a third of all accidents, in 2019 it was only one in five. This could be due, among other things, to programs such as “Accompanied Driving from 17”, which is intended to give new drivers more practice and safety.

Given these incidents and statistics, it is time to promote awareness of safe driving practices among young people. The serious accident in Wolfsburg could be a further impetus to think about safety measures.