Most teens are going through a challenging transformation in their lives. The dramatic changes involve a lot of hormones and brain changes. That means they may not always make the best decisions. And very often, their bad decisions can be very bad.
Because of their intensity, teens are often take substantial risks when they’re driving. They tend to be distracted by things in the car such as music, passengers, or their phones. From sixteen to nineteen, they are almost three times more likely to be in a fatal crash than drivers who are older. In fact, auto crashes are the leading cause of death for their age group.
Why do they have so many accidents?
As mentioned above, teen drivers can be distracted for various reasons which leads to a lot of accidents because they’re not paying sufficient attention to their exterior surroundings.
- If a driver isn’t aware of something in the road, or they are not using turn signals, they are much more likely to hit, or be hit, by something.
- Teens often drive too fast for road conditions. If they’re going too fast then they can’t always respond in time to other drivers, curves in the road, or weather-dependent dangers such as hydroplaning.
- Teens don’t have a lot of driving experience. They may know how to follow the rules in order to get their license but when driving in “the real world” they often ignore those rules.
Teen Accident Prevention
If your teen has been involved in an accident, statistically it was a bad one. As a result, it can result in legal troubles, perhaps due to drinking and driving or injuring someone or themselves if they are the victim. Property damage is also very common. There will certainly be financial considerations, but there may also be criminal charges. You may need legal representation to ensure your child is treated fairly and that your financial losses are minimized. Any legal issue will be stressful, but one involving your child can be particularly emotional. It’s a good idea to turn to a Milwaukee personal injury lawyer who understands the process and can approach it objectively. This way, you are able to focus on what matters: your family.
Support for Your Teenage Driver
Many reasons and circumstances can lead to fatal accidents for teens. Parents and other authority figures can be proactive about teaching teens the dangers. Driver safety training can also be instrumental in teaching them about the risks of driving unsafely and how to avoid them. If your loved one was injured in a car accident, you may wish to seek the legal counsel of a personal injury attorney.
Thanks to our friends and contributors from Hickey & Turim SC for their insight into teenage driving and personal injury cases.