Teenage Drivers: Know the Risks & Ways To Help Keep Your Family Safe
Teenage Drivers are Involved in the Most Motor Vehicle Accidents
Teenage drivers are involved in more motor vehicle accidents than any other demographic group. This accident frequency is not surprising, as teenage drivers are relatively inexperienced behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. When you combine that inexperience with a lack of appreciation for danger and risk, and with a youthful false sense of confidence, accidents happen on a regular basis. Furthermore, teenage drivers are very often also distracted drivers. Teenage drivers are more likely to text and drive, talk on their cell phones, constantly change the radio or MP3 player, or drive with a car full of friends.
Decrease Distractions & Risk Factors
These distractions would highly increase the risk of accidents for drivers of any age, but they especially and significantly increase the risk of accident for teenage drivers, who already have a difficult time identifying and reacting to road hazards or other similar situations. When a distracted and inexperienced teenager drives at night, it only increases the risk of accident and injury.
Ways to Help Keep Your Family Safe
In order to keep any teenage drivers in your family safe, make sure you carefully go over the importance of following traffic laws and paying close attention to the road. Teach them the dangers of distracted driving, including any behaviors that take their mind or eyes off the road or their hands off the wheel. Strictly ban cell phone usage while your teenage child is behind the wheel. Limit the number of young passengers your teenage driver may have in their car and limit their nighttime driving privileges.
Finally, teach them the importance of seat belts and other safe driving behaviors. Tell them about fatal car crashes involving teenage drivers to try to help them fully understand the very real dangers of distractions and other dangerous driving behaviors.
Recent California Car Crash Highlights Teen Driving Dangers
A recent accident in Southern California highlights the dangers of teenage driving. A fiery car crash took place earlier this fall that claimed the lives of five teenagers and left a sixth with burns over most of her body. After investigating this accident, authorities identified many common teenage driving risk factors that led to the accident. For example:
- There were six teenagers riding in one vehicle with no adult;
- They were on the road late at night;
- The teenage driver was speeding and likely not paying full attention to the road.
California Teenage Driving Law
California law does have a graduated program for new teenage drivers to try to ensure they receive training through driver’s education courses and time spent practicing with an adult driver in the car with them. However, graduating from these license restrictions and requirements does not necessarily mean that a teenage driver is prepared to react in possibly hazardous situations on the road, or guarantee that they will follow all traffic laws.
If you have been injured in an accident caused by a teenage driver who was not obeying the law or otherwise driving negligently, you deserve to be fully compensated for your injuries. Do not hesitate to contact the accident and injury attorneys at Callaway & Wolf as soon as possible.
Boone Callaway is a personal injury & medical malpractice lawyer in San Francisco who has been working with clients in the Bay Area for over 25 years. Mr. Callaway is one of only a few personal injury litigators in San Francisco who is a Super Lawyer, AV Rated and is also a member of ABOTA – American Board of Trial Advocates.
