According to NHTSA statistics, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers, with over 5,000 fatalities every year. And there is a clear reason for this statistic. Teenage drivers have the least experience, and just like flying a plane, becoming proficient at driving a car requires a lot of time and practice.
In response to this, some car accident safety experts advise that parents take their teenage drivers out for at least 100 hours of supervised driving.Our car accident lawyers believe that the more teens learn about driving, the safer they are behind the wheels of a car, and the safer the roads will be in general from unnecessary car accidents.
Some people may argue that these teenagers have driving licenses, and that means they have enough skill to drive. But from another point of view, everyone who gets in a car accident also passed their driver’s test.
The problem is that passing the driving test does not mean that the driver has enough experience to drive safely. Driving schools these days are aimed at teaching to-be drivers how to pass the driving exam, not how to drive safely, and not cause a personal injury out on the road. That is why many people who have licenses may not be prepared to drive.
For example, what if there is a final exam for a biology course, but the exam questions were all released a week prior to the exam? What driving schools are doing is probably equivalent to giving the students answers to the exam questions. While many students may know enough of the answers to the exam questions to pass the test, that does not necessarily mean the students have adequately understood the content of the biology course. By analogy, the drivers who pass their driver’s exam may not necessarily have all the skills required to drive.
That is why there are driving schools for people who are already licensed. These safe-driving programs offer driving instruction well beyond what parents are able to provide. They focus on defensive-driving techniques and emergency-handling skills in the case of a car accident or an imminent one. The students are also taught the “physics of driving,” so that they understand how the weight of the car changes as they accelerate or brake. It is from this that they also learn how to counter a skid and recover from it.
An instructor at the Skip Barber safe-driving school says that teens’ minds are not yet developed to the point that they can immediately make the right decision during an emergency. That is why the instructors have the teens practice reacting in emergencies, so that when an actual emergency comes up, they know exactly how to prevent a car accident.
Our car accident attorneys believe that it is crucial teenage drivers know their limits and understand realistically how to drive. That is why we strongly believe in the safe-driving schools whether one is licensed or not, as well as parental assistance with their to help their teenage drivers acquire more driving experience. As always, preventive car accident safety comes first, but in the event of the unforeseen, make sure you and your teens are covered by the best car insurance policy that you can find.
Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.