With school back in session, it is important to review the basics of driving safety with your teen. National Teen Driver Safety Week is coming up October 16 – 22 and Philadelphia car accident lawyers want you and your family to be safe on the roads.
Car accidents are the number one cause of fatality for teens in the United States. Take time to make sure your teen knows and understands the laws before getting behind the wheel of a car.
Tips to Share With Your Teen
- No texting and driving. Studies show that about 41.4 percent of high school students have texted or emailed while driving. And overall, it is estimated that 23 percent of all accidents on the road are caused by texting or cell phone usage, which equals 1.3 million crashes each year. Make sure they know that it can wait until they can safely pull over and return the message. In fact, have your teen turn the cell phone completely off until it is safe to turn it back on again to lessen the chance of a distraction.
- While they may want to drive their friends to the mall, even just one additional passenger increases the chance of an accident by 44 percent. The best bet is to always include an adult over the age of 3; this has shown to reduce the chance of an accident.
- Obeying the speed limit lessens the chance of an accident. Driving a safe speed helps ensure that your teen will arrive to their destination safely, and also avoid a speeding ticket which can cause a sharp increase in your auto insurance.
- Make sure your teen knows to minimize the distractions in the car. Eating, drinking, or even flipping the dial on the radio will take their eyes off the road and even a quick second can cause an inexperienced driver to lose control of the car.
- Use the headlights at all times. It will increase visibility of the car and help other cars to see you even in the daylight.
Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyers at Geoffrey B. Gompers & Associates Advocate for Teen Drivers
Even if your teen practices safe driving, unfortunately there is still a chance that they may be involved in a car accident. If you or a family member has been injured in a car accident due to the negligence of another driver, please contact the Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Geoffrey B. Gompers & Associates today. You can contact us via our online form or call us at 215-567-6600 to schedule a free consultation at one of our convenient locations in Philadelphia or New Jersey.