Talking Points

Lexington County drivers beware. Our teens rank dangerously low when it comes to driving. Financial researchers at Wallethub.com found SC teens are 33rd in the nation for safety on our roads. Wallethub studied teen driver fatalities, average cost of car repairs and impaired driving laws. The report found motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for ages 16-19. That age range also has the highest risk of crashes, Wallethub reported. Although 15- to 19-year-olds made up only 6.5% of the population in 2016, they racked up 8.4% of all costs resulting from motor-vehicle injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s not counting the costs of auto maintenance, insurance premiums, possible traffic citations and other vehicle incidents. The best teen drivers were found in Maryland, New York and Massachusetts. The worst were in Missouri, South Dakota and Wyoming.