My Teenager is Driving: How to Avoid Teen Car Crashes
The end of the school year is fast approaching, and new teen drivers are about to hit the road in droves. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen drivers often find themselves in car accidents soon after they obtain their drivers’ licenses. Teen car crashes can be simple fender benders or high-speed collisions that involve total vehicle loss. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.
Get the Facts
Teen car accidents are preventable through awareness and education:
● Half of all teens will be involved in a car accident before graduating from high school. Source: National Safety Council
● A quarter of all teen car accidents involve an underage drinking. Source: Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Protect Your New Teen Driver
A car accident can be caused by speeding, texting or calling while driving, driving while tired or fatigued, distracted driving, underage drugs and alcohol use, and unsafe lane changes, to name a few. When your teen gets a license, the National Safety Council recommends you make sure to practice driving with him or her at least half an hour each week, limit the number of passengers your teen can drive with, and limit nighttime driving when visibility is low and car accident risk is highest.
● Texting While Driving: When a teen texts while driving, he or she is not paying attention to the road. Those few precious seconds with eyes off the road can be the difference between life and death.
● Driving Under the Influence: Under no circumstances should your teen drink and drive or do drugs or drive. Your teen should never ride with anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
● Distractions: Putting on makeup, listening to loud music, changing radio stations, talking to passengers, having friends wrestling in the back seat, fatigue or driving while drowsy, and eating are all examples of distractions that take your teen driver’s eyes off the road, otherwise known as distracted driving.
What a Teen Driver Should do After a Car Accident
Even though your teen might be driving carefully, a car accident might be unavoidable. Review with your teen what he or she should do in the event of a car accident.
● Call 911
● Do not move the car until the police arrive
● Call parents
● Obtain information from the other driver such as name, address, registration number, license plate number, car year, make, and model information, driver’s license state and number, and insurance company name and policy number
● Take photos of accident scene
● Obtain name, address, email, and phone number of any witnesses to the accident or other passengers in all vehicles
● Call insurance agent and report accident
● Seek prompt medical care
● Seek legal advice if the car accident resulted in injury
CONTACT EXPERIENCED LOUISIANA TEEN ACCIDENT LAWYERS TODAY
If your teen was injured in a car crash, contact the experienced car accident attorneys at Mansfield, Melancon, Cranmer & Dick LLC. Our Teen Accident Lawyers are available to help you 24/7. To schedule your free consultation, contact us at our New Orleans (504) 500-1108, Baton Rouge (225) 612-0800, or Lafayette (337) 409-0003 office, email us at firstname.lastname@example.org, or book an appointment online.