Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog
Teen drivers in Dania Beach are excited to hit the road and experience freedom, but these motorists face some additional challenges when it comes to safety. Since they may still be perfecting their driving skills, young drivers can make mistakes which lead to crashes. Younger drivers are also statistically more likely to take risks when compared with older motorists, and risk-taking can also lead to collisions.
What Are the Risks for Dania Beach Young Drivers?
There are many things that put young motorists in Dania Beach at risk, including:
- Underage drinking. At least one national survey of high school students has found that 29% of teens reported drinking alcohol in the past month. Despite the fact that Florida laws forbit young drivers under the age of 21 from having any alcohol in their system, some motorists may be drinking and driving.
- Peer pressure. Friends of young drivers may pressure them to take risks or break the rules of the road.
- Speeding. A report from 2019 found that 31% of young male drivers aged and 17% of younger female drivers in deadly collisions has been speeding at the time of their crash.
- Stunts. TikTok and other social media platforms sometimes encourage young drivers to take part in challenges or trends which can be dangerous.
- Passengers. Studies have shown that teen drivers with teen passengers are more likely to be in a crash and the risk increases with each young passenger.
- Driver inexperience. Younger drivers don’t have years of experience under their belt and this means they may be more at risk from distractions or may be more prone to error since they are still learning and honing their skills.
What Can You Do to Keep Teen Drivers Safer?
If you have a teen driver in your life, whether you’re a parent or other family member, there are several things you can do:
- Talk to teen drivers. Be a resource. Discuss safe driving and how the teen feels about driving. Talk about dangers such as drunk or distracted driving and really listen to the young driver’s ideas and concerns.
- Give the gift of additional training. A great gift for young drivers are some defensive driving lessons, racing lessons, or one-on-one lessons with a qualified instructor. Spending more time with qualified driving instructors and honing skills can help drivers stop bad habits before they develop.
- Give teens an option for peer pressure. Offer to be a “safe” ride home or let teen drivers use you as an excuse for not taking part in any dangerous stunts. Knowing they can call you, no questions asked, can get them out of danger and being able to say “I can’t do that; my family member is so strict. . .” can give them an excuse to bow out of pressure.
- Set rules and create consequences. If you’re a parent and have a teen driver at home, work together to create a list of “safe driving rules,” with consequences for each rule broken. If your teen has a say in the rules, they are more likely to follow them.
If your teen driver has been injured in a collision or if you have been injured in a crash with a young driver, contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) for a no obligation, free accident consultation to discuss whether you may have a claim to seek recovery for your medical costs, wage losses, and other losses.