As part of National Teen Driver Safety Week, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released some research data. It should be of interest to both teen drivers and their parents in Kentucky. The most startling fact is that when teen drivers have only other teens as passengers, the fatality rate for all of them increases 51 percent. Other vehicle occupants are 56 percent more likely to die in a crash while bicyclists and pedestrians are 17 percent more likely.
On the other hand, the fatality rate goes down 8 percent in the presence of a passenger 35 years or older. This underscores the need for a sufficient amount of supervised driving training. Such training could also address issues that arise from driving at night, which is, along with speeding, a major influence on fatality rates.
According to AAA, 2016 saw more than 1 million crashes involving teen drivers. Of those, more than 3,200 were fatal. Because lack of experience is to blame for many accidents with teen drivers, AAA recommends that teens receive at least 100 hours of supervised practice driving before going on their own. Parents must also set and consistently enforce rules to limit the number of teen passengers that their children can have in the car.
In the event of an auto accident, those who were not at fault may file a personal injury claim in their effort to seek damages. If the claim is successful, the other driver’s auto insurance company might pay out for medical bills, lost wages and other losses. Insurance companies are often aggressive in denying payment, so the victim’s lawyer may hire third parties like accident investigators to build up the case before moving on to negotiations. If a settlement isn’t reached, the lawyer might prepare for litigation.