Auto Accidents And Teen Drivers. As an experienced personal injury lawyer and attorney in the Charlottesville Albemarle area, I already knew that teen drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal car accidents. Now there is confirmation of my practical experience. A researcher at TTI (Texas A&M Transportation Institute) analyzed 10 years of traffic data and determined that teenage drivers(19 an younger) are approximately eight times more likely to have a fatal auto accident when they are driving with two or more teenagers in the car. This statistic represents a thirty percent increase in teen deaths related to automobile accidents. In addition, teenagers as a group are three times more likely to die in auto accidents. In fact, car accidents resulting in traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death for teenagers. Virginia does have restrictions on teenage drivers and their ability to transport other teenagers who are not family members. Interestingly, the traffic researcher attributed the increase in car accidents and traffic fatalities to the incomplete development of teenage brains. Apparently, the area of the brain that is responsible for weighing the consequences of risky behavior is not yet fully developed. It is the last area of the brain to develop and as a result, slightly older drivers do not have the same risk of death while driving. Practically, I have had to deal with the tragedy of representing the survivors of auto accidents where a teenage friend has died and the survivors have serious personal injuries. I do not expect these statistics to improve in the near future as increased use of cell phones while driving, including texting, continues to result in more car accidents. Francis P. Hajek Wilson & Hajek, LLC, a personal injury law firm Experienced Injury and Accident Lawyers Serving Virginia, including Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro