If you have a teenager who is about to drive or who is already of driving age, chances are you there is some stress involved, from worrying about them having an accident to paying higher car insurance and keeping track of the family car. Setting rules and boundaries is always important with children—even as they are growing older—and you may find this is an entirely new ballgame with teenagers who are suddenly out on the roads by themselves and want to be there a lot.
While rules about curfews are important, actual driving habits should be discussed at length. Your teen drivers have probably been inundated with traditional driver’s education information, and they may have memorized every symbol for every street sign. They may know everything you can possibly learn about driving that is dispensed in a textbook, along with practice routes from school courses. But there are many hazards to be avoided, beginning with distractions in the car.
Today, nearly sixty percent of accidents involving teen drivers are caused by distracted driving habits. And you can probably guess what the number one problem is: that’s right—the smartphone. Phone calls and distractions due to talking, whether hands-free or not, can be distracting, but texting and driving is an enormous hazard caused by motorists. When you consider how critical it is to give the exercise of driving your full attention, and how incredibly consuming reading and answering texts can be—it is easy to imagine how catastrophic a car accident could be.
Teens may be texting or talking, but other distractions usually get thrown into the mix too, beginning with other teens or passengers in the car who may be taking the driver’s attention away from the road. Young distracted motorists may also be concerned about eating and drinking—often from the fast food drive-thru—as well as performing tasks like grooming or setting a GPS device. Remember as a parent, that one of the most important things you can do is to act as a good role model when you are driving too, as your children begin watching you in their formative years from the back seat.
If you have been injured in a car accident due to the negligence of others, please call the law offices of Andrew ‘Pike’ Piekalkiewicz, PLLC as soon as possible at (713) 748-7453 or visit AttorneySgtPike for a no obligation case review. As a variation of the system employed in trucking cases, Sgt. Attorney Pike activates and deploys the Car Accident Response Team or C.A.R.T. ™ immediately after being hired and in appropriate cases. A team of specialized personnel trained in every aspect of car wrecks and injuries is deployed. Let us help you!
