Teen drivers in New Jersey should know that National Teen Driver Safety Week was held in October. As a part of this movement to raise awareness about the risks that teen drivers face, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released some new data showing that teens face higher risks for fatal accidents when they have only teen passengers.
Specifically, the fatality rate goes up 45 percent for the driver and 51 percent for all occupants when only teens are in the car. On the other hand, the fatality rate decreases 8 percent for teen drivers when they have a passenger 35 years or older.
As a result, AAA recommends that teens get at least 100 hours of supervised practice driving before going out on their own. It also advises parents to create and consistently enforce rules limiting the number of teen passengers that their children can have in the car.
According to AAA, there were more than 1 million crashes with teen drivers in 2016. These accidents led to more than 3,200 deaths. Fatalities among teen drivers are more common when factors like speeding or operating at night are involved.
Teens have the same responsibilities behind the wheel as adults, so when they become negligent and cause auto accidents, victims can be eligible for compensation. Filing a third-party insurance claim can be difficult without a lawyer, so a victim may want to schedule a case evaluation.
If the grounds for a claim are good, the lawyer could hire third parties like accident investigators and medical experts to gather proof and show that all reported injuries are accident related. The lawyer can then negotiate for a fair settlement, taking the case to court if one cannot be achieved.