Cars are equipped with more safety features today than ever before, but serious accidents continue to leave victims severely injured and worried about their future. Thousands continue to die in these wrecks, too.
In fact, early estimates show that nearly 41,000 people were killed in car accidents in 2023, and many others were left injured. Those who are fortunate enough to survive their wreck are often left with extensive physical and emotional pain and suffering, physical mobility limitations, and financial losses attributable to medical expenses and lost wages.
But how do these accidents and their resulting damages occur? While anyone can be a dangerous driver, teenagers oftentimes create risks at a higher rate compared to other motorists. Let’s take a closer look at why that may be the case.
Let’s start by recognizing that there are some attentive and safe teenage drivers out there. That said, there are also some bad ones. Here’s why many of these teen drivers create a significant risk of accident that could leave you and your family picking up the pieces of your shattered lives:
- Inexperience: Although some teens receive extensive driving education before obtaining their license, others don’t. And there’s no substitute for gaining driving experience in the real world, which simply comes with time. Therefore, teenage drivers sometimes find themselves in unique situations where they don’t know how to respond.
- Distraction: Today’s teens are inundated with distraction. Their phones can tempt them with social media, email, and text messages, and riding with other teens can create distracting interactions that take their attention off their surroundings. Even taking their eyes off the road for a few seconds can cause a failure to identify slow or stopped traffic, a failure to stop at a stop sign or red light, or swerving into other lanes of traffic, any of which can result in a serious car accident.
- Over confidence: Young drivers, especially teenagers, tend to have a sense of invincibility. As a result, they might think that they can safely drive their car a certain way when in reality their actions are dangerous.
- Fatigue: Teens nowadays have a lot going on. They’re pushed to obtain academic achievement, they’re confronted with a myriad of social pressures, and their time is strained by extracurricular activities. This can limit the amount of rest that they get, which can leave them drowsy and fatigued when behind the wheel. This reduces their attention and increases their reaction time, which can be a disastrous combination out on the road.
What should you do if you’ve been injured in an accident caused by a teenager?
If you’ve been hurt in one of these wrecks, then careful analysis of the circumstances leading up the crash is necessary. If you then discover that the teenager’s negligence caused your accident, then legal action is warranted. Naming both the teenager and their parents in your lawsuit will likely be necessary if you want to recover the compensation you need and deserve. Before filing your claim, though, gather as much evidence as you can, which includes police reports, witness statements, accident reconstruction reports, and medical and employment records.
Thorough preparation is key when pursuing a car accident personal injury case. We know that putting in this work on the front-end of your case can be challenging since you’re trying to find a way to treat and recover from your injuries, but this isn’t something that you have to navigate on your own. So, turn to your support system and secure other help that you may need to successfully get through this trying time.