Why teen drivers should drive alone

On Behalf of | Nov 26, 2019 | Blog, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury |

Parents and teenagers in Georgia are normally excited when teens get their drivers’ licenses. However, parents should understand that teen drivers have a much greater risk of being involved in accidents. While it might mean that parents will need to continue driving their teens and other children around, teen drivers should not be responsible for picking up their siblings or driving with peers in their vehicles before they are more experienced drivers.

Teen driving statistics

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 300,000 teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were injured and 2,364 were killed in accidents in 2017. During that year, teens between the ages of 15 and 19 accounted for 6.5% of the population but almost 8% of all car accident injury costs in the U.S. Teens who are between the ages of 16 and 19 are almost three times more likely to be involved in fatal accidents than drivers who are 20 or older.

Teens and passengers

When teenagers first get their drivers’ licenses, they often want to drive around with their friends in their vehicles. Parents might ask their licensed teens to pick up younger siblings from school or extracurricular activities so that the parents can do other things. However, teens should not be allowed to transport passengers their age or younger. Teen drivers do not have the experience necessary to keep their attention focused on the road instead of on their passengers. Siblings may be especially distracting to teen drivers because they understand how to make the driver laugh or how to annoy them. The ideal number of siblings or peers who should be allowed in a vehicle with a teen driver is zero.

While teens and their parents may both be excited when teenagers get their licenses, parents need to take steps to prevent their children from transporting other people who are their age or younger. Teen drivers need to gain some experience driving without teenage passengers before they begin driving with their peers. People who are injured in accidents caused by teen drivers might want to talk to experienced personal injury lawyers about their legal options for seeking compensation.