Accidents with Teen Drivers

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teen drivers. These young drivers are as much as 70 percent more likely to make insurance claims for auto accidents when compared with drivers in other age groups. Lack of experience coupled with bad decisions are the major contributing factors to teen driving crashes which, unfortunately, can kill or injure not only teens but also other passengers and drivers on the road.

If you or a loved one was involved in a car accident with a teen driver, you may have a claim for damages. Fort Lauderdale car accident attorney David I. Fuchs can assist you in understanding your rights and in obtaining compensation.

Teen Driving Accidents Can Be Deadly

In 2010, more than seven teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 died each day in the United States as a result of a motor vehicle collision. Drivers within this age group are about three times more to become involved in a car accident. The vast majority of those crashes are caused by simple driver inexperience.

Teens also engage in dangerous behaviors behind the wheel, often much more frequently than adults. For example, teens are more likely to become involved in auto accidents as a result of:

• Drunk driving. There are zero-tolerance rules for teens in Florida to prevent these types of crashes, but teenagers still routinely get into the car when they have had too much to drink.
• Distracted driving. Distraction.gov indicated that approximately 11 percent of all fatal car wrecks involving teenagers are caused by a driver who is visual, cognitively or manually impaired by distraction. Cell phone use and texting while driving are the most common distractions that result in fatal wrecks for teens.
• Drowsy driving. A recent CDC study of more than 147,000 drivers throughout the U.S. indicated that 4.9 percent of drivers ages 18-24 had fallen asleep while driving in the past 30 days, as compared with just 4.2 percent of all drivers total.  Another early study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety had indicated that tired teen drivers were less likely than their adult counterparts to pull over in order to rest when dozing off or overtired.
• Speeding. Approximately 17 percent of teenage drivers described speeding as fun on an Allstate Survey. More than half of teens responding to the same survey indicated they’d exceeded the speed limit by 10 or more miles per hour.

Teens who engage in these dangerous behaviors are far more likely to become involved in a car wreck that injures or kills themselves, their passengers or innocent third parties who share the road. Teens are also more likely to become involved in accidents if there are multiple riders/passengers in the car with a young and inexperienced driver.

Taking Action after an accident with a teen driver in Fort Lauderdale

Although thousands are injured by teen drivers every year, many people are reluctant to take legal action to hold the dangerous young drivers responsible. This is especially true when the injured victim of a car wreck is a passenger who was friends with the teen driver and who was in the teen’s car at the time of the wreck.

The fact remains, however, that teenage drivers are covered by insurance policies just as any other driver. This means that whether you are a stranger or a friend, you should make a claim against a young driver responsible for causing serious injuries or the death of a loved one. The insurance company will be responsible for paying medical costs, lost income/wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress and wrongful death damages to the victim and the family members. You should not be left to bear these costs on your own when a teen driver is to blame for the crash.

A Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer can assist you in understanding your rights and in filing a claim against the teen driver’s insurance carrier.

Attorney David Fuchs Can Help You

At the Law Offices of David I Fuchs, our experienced Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers understand the devastation that goes along with any car accident, especially one involving a young teen driver. Our goal is to represent the rights of every accident victim, whether a stranger or a friend who was a passenger, to ensure they get the compensation they deserve after a car crash.

To learn more about how we can assist you in making a claim and obtaining compensation after a traffic collision in Broward or elsewhere in South Florida, give us a call today at (800) 570-2858.