Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘teen driver’

Is your  13 or 14 year old son or daughter  keeping a running count of the number of days ’til they can get their driver’s license?  If so, the website,  www.countsown2Drive.org, is for you!

The folks at Safe Kids USA, along with the General Motors Foundation, has launched a timely new campaign to keep teens safe behind the wheel – and it’s very appropriately called, “Countdown2Drive.”

This national education program is designed to equip teens, ages 13 to 14,  and parents with safe passenger and driving knowledge before the teen is ready to drive legally. The goal -  to help teens learn how to protect themselves in vehicles as they become more independent.

Some Grim Facts about Teens and Cars:  (NHTSA)

• More than 350,000 teens were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. 
• Teenagers are four times more likely to be involved in a car accident as compared to all other drivers.
•  At age 13 and 14, a teen’s risk of dying while riding with a teenage driver is double what it was when they were younger, and it continues to rise each year. 

Countdown2drive gives parents the opportunity to reinforce safety habits that can protect your teen when they ride with other drivers. It’s  these same behaviors that will help keep them safe when they are given the keys to the car, too.

Please check it out.      Thanks, Safe Kids USA!

Clearwater Child Injury Lawyer, your resource for legal, safety and accident prevention information on the web.

Our Clearwater Car Accident Lawyer website often reports on local news related to car crashes to raise public awareness. Fatal car crashes involving teens are extremely tragic. This week a 16 year-old Homosassa teen died in a car wreck in Crystal River. The 17 year-old driver lost control of the vehicle. Another fatal crash this month, involved a 17 year-old driver who was killed after losing control of his SUV near Florida International University’s south campus. He was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from his vehicle.

 National Teen Driver Safety Week is observed Oct. 17-23. It’s a week, that nationwide, we raise awareness and educate parents and teens about staying safe behind the wheel. Fatal car crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for teens age 15-20. No one wants to see teens with their whole life ahead of them die, particularly when the cause of death is preventable.

 The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is encouraging all Floridians to participate in a statewide White Out as part of the week’s activities. You can show your support by wearing a white shirt on Oct. 19, 2010, to help white out teen crashes.

 Florida Traffic Crash Statistics 2009 Reports:

• 772,910 teens are licensed to drive in the Sunshine State.
• 29,485 crashes involved teens last year.
• 153 teens died.
• 19,292 teens were injured in car wrecks.

 As a Clearwater Car Accident Lawyer and strong advocate for child injury prevention, I remind you take time with your teen driver during National Teen Driver Safety Week to check and review safe driving habits. Don’t assume because your teen has taken a driver’s education course that they are driving safely.

 To keep teens safe in the driver and passenger seat, visit these websites:

 www.TakeTheWheel.net, an interactive website by teens for teens

www.teendriverssource.org

www.edmunds.com , How to Crash Proof Your Teen

www.flhsmv.gov/teens/booklets/FLDriversGuide_09.pdf, a booklet to educate teens and parents about the importance of parental involvement in teaching teens to drive

An advertisement by the Allstate Insurance Company  in the Wall Street Journal,  caught our attention!

The ad headline, with an eye-catching  graphic read: “Why do most 16-year-olds drive like their missing part of their brain?  Because they are.” 

A teenager’s brain is not fully developed until their 20’s. The dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, the “missing part of the brain,” plays a major role in teenager’s decision-making and the understanding of consequences. That is why as parents of teen drivers, anxiety and a lot of prayer go along with seeing our young drivers pull out of the driveway; and a sigh of relief and thankfulness when they are home safely!

 Allstate reminds us  teen drivers, yes, even bright, seemingly mature teens sometimes do things the insurance people label as “stupid.”  But  they say- it’s not really their fault!

The company supports  the Standup Act, or the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2009.

 The law creates a National Graduated Driver Licensing law that would provide teens with  on-the-road experience gradually, while helping them avoid risky conditions.

 States that have implemented GDL programs  have seen the number of fatal crashes among 16-year-old drivers fall by almost 40%.

Florida instituted it’s GDL program on July 1, 1996. 

Florida Child Injury Lawyer Jim Dodson, working to make safety, every child’s reality.

A study in Pediatrics Journal reports parents who set firm but  loving limits on their teen drivers will have teens that are half as likely to get into a car accident as teens with un-involved parents. Teens will also be 71% less likely to drink and drive, 50% less likely to speed and 29% less likely to talk/text on cell phones.

We all know teens’ lives are more in danger in the car. Fatal car accidents are the leading cause of death for 16-20 year- olds.

Car accident risks increase when a teenager has a passenger in the car, has been using drugs/alcohol and if they are speeding. Ken Ginsburg, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine recommends rules parents should set for teen drivers:

• no passengers during the first 6-12 months of driving
• Limit driving in bad weather
•  enforce curfews
•  maintain control of the car keys

 Finally reward your teen driver with a special privilege once they’ve been driving successfully and by your rules for awhile. –Just don’t buy them a car, studies show kids who do not have  their own car are 50% less likely to be involved in a car crash.

For additional information and safety resources to protect your teen driver, visit our Florida Child Injury document and resource library or contact our office for a free consultation @ 1-888-340-0840.

Early Friday morning a New Port Richey couple were about to retire to bed when the unexpected happened. 

 “We were walking into the bathroom and we heard this … crash. I came outside, saw the car where you see it now.”  A teen driver lost control of her car, sideswiped another vehicle, drove through the front yard and crashed into the home of Michael Whaley.  The impact pinned a van inside the garage.  Troopers cited the 17-year-old driver with careless driving.

 “I asked both kids… if either were hurt,” the retired police was quoted as saying.   Very fortunately for the teen and her passenger, there were no serious injuries in the car crash. Whaley’s home, though reportedly,  has $20,000 in damages. The accident could have had  serious injuries and consequences  had he and  his wife  been in the area where the car crashed. Whaley, it seems from a news report,  had a fairly calm reaction to the evening’s events and was relieved  no one was injured.

He remarked,  ”I got insurance…everybody got insurance.” Fortunately, in this case it sounds like insurance is not an issue, but that’s not always the case.

Many drivers in Florida are extremely underinsured and unprepared if they are responsible for damages far beyond the coverage they bought.  The damage to property caused in this accident may be covered by the driver’s Property Damage insurance on any policy insuring the car. Too many Floridians opt for the minimum Property Damage coverage of $10,000. Such coverage would pay for only half the reported loss to the home in this accident, leaving the driver on the hook potentially for the rest. Far too many crashes involving expensive cars cause property damaged liablity well in excess of $10,000 and drivers need to be aware of such potential liabilty and get the coverage they need. 

In addition,  many injured people I see in my office after an auto accident believe they have full coverage or are unclear about what they do have. Unfortunately, there are many uninsured or underinsured drivers on our roads – as many as 665,000 Florida drivers have no insurance, according to a 2004 report.  The Dodson Law Firm stresses the importance of uninsured motorist coverage - the least expensive and best bargain when it comes to your coverage. Check your policy’s coverage today!

For more information on car insurance from Florida Car Accident and Child Injury Lawyer Jim Dodson, request a FREE copy of his consumer guide about Buying Car Insurance in Florida It’s available on Amazon for $12.95 but offered at NO COST to Florida drivers on our website www.JWDodsonlaw.com.