Teenage Drivers.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for United States teenagers, accounting for more than one-in-three teen wrongful deaths. The risk of auto accidents is higher among 16- to 19-year-old teenage drivers than among any other age group. Per mile driven, teenage drivers are four times more likely to get into a car accident than older motorists.

Newly licensed teenage drivers in their first year on the road are also the most likely to be in a car accident. Among teen drivers, males are the most likely to cause a car accident. The death rate in car accidents for male teen drivers is one and half times that of female teenage drivers. They are also more likely to drink, speed and not wear their seat belt compared to their female counterparts.

Our San Diego car accident lawyers know the car accidents statistics, and they show that the inexperience and recklessness are a dangerous combination for teen driver. Many teens are testing the limits instead of properly driving a car. In all, teen drivers’ inexperience leads to poor decision making and a greater chance of car accidents. This problem is very difficult to fix because each year new teenage drivers hit the road.

Inexperience Often Leads to Car Accidents for Teen Drivers

Teenage drivers are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or are simply unable to recognize them.
Teenage drivers are more likely to drink and drive (DUI), drive with distractions, speed and tailgate.
Teenage drivers are also the age group most likely not to wear a seat belt, which make their injuries and death totals in car accidents far worse.

Graduated Licensing Programs Help Prevent Teen Driver Car Accidents

Teenage drivers now can gain the adequate experience before they become fully licensed, and graduated driver licensing programs (GDL) have proven to be successful in this regard. GDL systems are designed to delay full licenses for first-time drivers while allowing teenage drivers to gain driving experience in low-risk conditions with as few passengers as possible. Studies also show that the presence of teenage passengers makes it even more likely for a car accident to occur with a teenage driver, and the risk only increases with more teen passengers.

Here are some of the programs attached to GDL systems:

First-year teenage drivers are forbidden from driving with more than one other teenage passenger.
First-year teen drivers cannot drive after midnight.
First-year teenage drivers often start with points on their licenses.

These programs have led to a 38 percent reduction in fatal car accidents and 40 percent less injury-causing auto accidents. Unfortunately, not all states employ graduated driver’s licensing programs.

Parents Can Prevent Needless Teen Driver Car Accidents

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the parents or legal guardians of these teenage drivers. They need to make sure to not only teach but also practice the proper driving techniques every day. Children will learn from a very young age the correct manner in which they should handle themselves on the roadways. If teenagers spent their formative years learning and observing safe driving techniques, then they would be more likely to do so themselves. When they show that they are not driving safely, then it is up to the parent to take away that privilege.

For car accident lawyers, the goal at all times is to educate people to avoid causing car accidents because teenage drivers are causing more than their fair share of auto accidents on the roads.

Call Us Now to Maximize Your Auto Accident Settlement

Have you been injured in an automobile caused by a teenage driver? Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 for a FREE consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer or click here to submit your case for a FREE online review.

Our San Diego law office has been dedicated to serving people with automobile accident injuries for the past two decades. Our attorneys look forward to providing you with good advice so that you can make smart decisions about your case.

Most Recent Blog Post

[caption id="attachment_21715" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo Credit: The San Diego Union Tribune"][/caption] Last week, we reported on a car accident in San Diego that resulted out of alleged teen street racing. In new developments, the 18-year-old driver charged with the death of the two teenagers involved in the street racing has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter among four other charges according to reports at the San Diego Union Tribune. The news follows the earlier arrest of another 16-year-old driver that was taken into custody on similar charges. Just shortly after his arraignment, Michael Johnson, the 18-year-old driver of a Volvo S40, said, according to his attorney, that he is not the responsible party in the tragic San Diego accident fatalities that occurred April 4. Accident reports indicate that Johnson was returning from a spring break beach party in La Jolla when he was allegedly involved in a street racing contest with another teen driver – the unidentified 16-year-old driver of a Volkswagen Passat whose name has not been released since he is a minor. According to Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler, the two vehicles were zigzagging across lanes at speeds reaching up to a staggering 100 m.p.h. The 16-year-old driver in the Passat lost control over the vehicle, causing the car to flip over several times across multiple lanes of the road. Two passengers, Anthony Foreman, 18, and Jayli Campbell, 16, were thrown from the Passat and died at the scene of the accident. Two passengers survived the crash. Charlotte McQuillen, survived the accident although she suffered serious injury as a result of the collision including reports that say the teen will have to recover from traumatic brain injury. Anthoney Taylor, 16, also survived the crash although his injuries are unclear at this time. Johnson did not flee the scene of the accident according to police reports and cooperated with authorities once officers assessed the scene of the collision. The teen has no prior criminal record, although authorities say his vehicle was found containing a small amount of marijuana. Johnson is being charged with intoxicated driving, although his lawyer says there were no field sobriety tests to confirm the teen’s alleged intoxication. Teen driving: reminders for concerned parents Last week, we blogged on actions parents can take to prevent teen car accidents. Tips include:

Sign a parent-teen contract. Download your free contract now.
Enforcing the rules. Every teen driver needs to know that rules are there for a purpose, and when they are broken, consequences will follow.
Have a DUI backup plan. As most parents can attest, there are many instances when teen drivers run into problems that supersede their know-how and maturity. Drinking is one of those problems. In cases of emergency, your teen should have an open-door policy where they feel safe to call you when they need help – such in the case of drunk driving or driving while intoxicated.

About the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC The Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC are specialists in car accident injury. Every personal injury attorney in our San Diego office works hard to seek maximum recovery for every injured client. Your case is handled without any out-of-pocket costs, so do not hesitate to speak to a San Diego personal injury lawyer today for a free legal evaluation. Call us at 1-800-655-6585.