For many college students, it is their first time living away from home. Others opt for the commute to classes. In either scenario, there is the potential for a lot of traffic in and around the campus. In Maryland, there are 55 accredited colleges and universities with a total number of 170,831 students (according to the University of System of Maryland). With that kind of population concentration, there is an increased risk of car accidents.
Impact of the Lack of Experience
Based on information from the Maryland Highway Safety Office, a motorist needs to manage approximately 1,500 skills to drive a car. Those skills include a variety of the following:
- Observation
- Perception
- Interpretation
- Reaction
- Anticipation
Those skills need to be deployed in unison and in microseconds. Unfortunately, the typical college-age student might only have a few years of limited driving experience. As a result, there have been 23 fatalities involving drivers between the ages of 16-20, with 83% of those drivers being male. In young driver-involved crashes, female passengers were injured at a higher rate.
Additional Factors for Car Accidents on College Campus
The lack of experience leads college-age drivers to make other misjudgments when behind the wheel of the car. Here are some of the other factors that can lead to car accidents on college campuses:
Drinking and Driving
As with other states, the legal age for drinking alcohol in Maryland is 21. However, being away at college and getting involved in campus life can present opportunities for a lot of underage drinking. According to information collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) across the country, 29% of young drivers who were killed in crashes in 2020 had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.
Driving While Distracted
Distractions while driving can take your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel. One of the most common forms of distracted driving is using cell phones. This is one of the reasons the Maryland legislature enacted a hands-free driving law in 2010.
The general rule reads: “When a vehicle is in motion, an adult driver may NOT use his/her hands to use a handheld telephone, other than to start or end a call, or to turn the telephone on or off.”
For drivers under the age of 18, they might not use a wireless communication device of any kind.
Additional distractions can involve the following:
- Eating
- Drinking
- Smoking
- Putting on Makeup
- Changing the radio
- Looking for loose items
Dealing with passengers is also a concern. College students often carpool with classmates. The more passengers in a car, the more likely the driver is to become distracted.
Speeding
Time management is a big issue for all college students. They need to juggle a class schedule, assignments, and all the extracurricular activities. That can lead to a lot of rushing around the campus. If a student is running late, they are more likely to speed through the parking lots and roads around the campus. The Maryland Highway Safety Office said one-third of teen drivers who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the collision.
Sharing the Road
Whether it is the University of Maryland or Townson University, there is also a lot of traffic around the campus roads and crosswalks, and not all that traffic involves cars. Many students opt for bikes, e-scooters, or e-bikes to make their way from housing to their classes. These are referred to as micro-mobility operators. It is recommended that motorists allow for at least three feet of space between their cars and the micro-mobility vehicles.
College student drivers will also encounter many pedestrians who don’t always stay within the boundaries of a crosswalk. This increases the driver’s responsibility to pay attention to their surroundings.
Seeking Compensation
Although a college student driver might not have the experience of an older driver, that doesn’t absolve them of responsibility if they get into a car accident that causes damage or injury. You can forgive them, but you shouldn’t excuse them from paying the compensation that you’re entitled to.
The attorneys at GDH Law understand the challenges it takes to achieve success in car accident claims. Fortunately, we have achieved positive outcomes for many clients involved in collisions that weren’t their fault. Whether your accident involves a college-age driver, trucker, or any other type of motorist, you owe it to yourself to understand all your options for seeking compensation.
Call to set up a consultation to discuss your accident today.
