Teen Accident Rates Improving but Still Unacceptably High
Our New York motor vehicle accident lawyers have successfully represented those involved in car accidents with speeding drivers, and Richard Jaffe has been recognized by SuperLawyers as being in the top 5 percent of attorneys in the New York City Metro area.
While substantial progress has been made in reducing the number of teen accidents and teen driver accident related fatalities, the inexperience of teenage drivers continues to be a factor in many New York car accidents. Car accidents remain a leading cause of death for teenagers and account for one-third of all deaths of teenagers between the ages of 16-19. Based on the number of miles driven, teenagers in this age group are four times more likely to be involved in a serious car accident. Thousands of teenagers are killed and hundreds of thousands are injured in car accidents in New York and across the United States annually. Some of the gains in preventing car accidents involving teen drivers are related to stricter driving laws that apply to teens, public education programs and more diligent enforcement of teen safety traffic laws.
One of the most effective measures that has been implemented to prevent teen driving accidents is the implementation of New York’s graduated driver’s license program. This law provides that driving privileges are implemented in stages to allow teen drivers to gain a greater degree of experience and maturity before additional potential driving distractions are permitted. The graduated license program restricts driving during nighttime hours and passengers that inexperienced drivers under 21 may transport in their vehicle. Nighttime driving and the distraction posed by conversation with passengers are both factors in a higher risk of accident so these restrictions are designed to reduce the number of factors may contribute to an accident for new drivers.
Another common factor that puts teenagers at a greater risk of being involved in a car accident in New York is a teen’s inflated estimation of the teen’s own driving ability. Because teen drivers are more inclined to feel invincible, this leads to particularly reckless driving practices. Most people presume that the lion share of teen driving accidents is caused by alcohol. Driver inexperience and risky driving practices are the most significant causes of New York car accidents. Teen drivers are more likely to ignore traffic signs and signals, speed, violate traffic safety laws, engage in dangerous passing maneuvers, execute illegal turns, pass dangerously, tailgate and failure to yield to pedestrians.
Inexperience and immaturity of teen drivers also contributes substantially too many teen car accidents in New York. Inexperienced teen drivers typically have less efficient risk perception and hazard detection. Risk perception is an important driving skill that involves evaluation of the threat posed by a particular accident risk as well as one’s ability to effectively deal with that risk. This is a skill that is acquired as one gains increasing experience confronting and responding to particular accident risks. Similarly, hazard detection involves the ability to identify potential driving hazards and determine that they pose a risk of causing an accident. Effective hazard detection depends on developing information gathering skills and perception based on prior driving experience.
Despite the fact that New York has a zero tolerance policy for teen drinking and driving, alcohol still plays a significant impact in many teen driving accidents. If you are under 21 and have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .02 percent, this constitutes DWI for a teen driver, which means even a single beer or drink is sufficient for a teen driver to be considered driving under the influence. This zero tolerance policy is designed to keep inexperienced teen drivers, who may be more inclined to speed or engage in other risky driving behavior, from increasing the risk of a car accident by combining drugs or alcohol with other high risk accident factors.
While fewer teens are involved in fatal New York car accidents, many teens and adults alike still die in accidents involving teen drivers. If you or someone you love has been injured in a serious car accident in New York involving a teen driver, the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe has effectively handled hundreds of car accident claims throughout Nassau, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Suffolk. We have collected millions for our clients and we can do the same for you. We invite you to contact us at (516) 358-6900 so that we can advise you of your rights and options.
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