As nicer weather approaches, newly licensed teens are starting to spend more time on the roads. Unfortunately, the most at-risk group of drivers for a car accident are teenagers, as they are (obviously) the most inexperienced on the road. In fact, they have the highest crash risk of any age group attributed to driver error including speeding or tailgating. Because children learn by example, it is essential for parents to enforce safe driving tips to their teen before they get behind the wheel to ensure that their ride is safe.
Parents should discuss good and bad driving habits with their teens early–this way it is easy to show them what is illegal and unsafe behavior, and how to avoid it. A means of enforcing these limits on your kids can be done by restricting the amount of night driving time they’re allowed to have during the first few months of licensure. Young drivers are most at risk for car accidents at night when their inexperience is magnified. Parents often remind their children that they should never drive if they’ve had even a sip of alcohol, nor take a ride with someone who has. Nationally, thirteen percent of teenage fatalities on the road occur because the driver had a 0.08 blood alcohol content at the time of the car accident. Make sure to offer a ride home to your teen, should a sober driver not be available.
It is also important to discuss with your teen how dangerous driving while distracted is (and also illegal, thanks last year’s “Hands Free” legislation). Operating a motor vehicle while using cell phones, texting, chatting with friends, eating in the car, or even changing music can be disastrous. Even looking in the mirror for a mere second provides ample opportunity for a car accident to occur. Although teenagers are not the only group of drivers who attempt to multitask while on the roads, they do so in higher percentages–approximately ninety percent of young adults admit to using a cell phone or texting while driving.
Each day personal injury attorneys, like myself, assist clients who have sustained gruesome personal injury in car accidents–don’t let this happen to your young driver! Reminding your teenager of these helpful driving tips can help to keep your child safe when they’re behind the wheel. In the event of a car accident resulting in personal injury, it is essential to contact me for the best legal representation and legal advice. Doing so immediately can help ensure a successful outcome to your car accident claim.
