Teenager Killed in Stone Mountain Pedestrian Accident
A Stone Mountain teenager was killed last week in an accident involving a teen motorist. Tanesha Williams was walking to her mother’s home after school when she was struck by the car.According to DeKalb County Police, the 17-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle and drove on to the sidewalk. The other two students with Tanesha suffered moderate injuries. Tanesha died later of her injuries. She was all of 14 years old.
Meanwhile, detectives believe that the teen motorist was likely trying to pass a second car at a high rate of speed. This likely caused the driver to lose control of the car, and driving up on the sidewalk and hitting the three pedestrians. Police still don’t know whether the second car was involved in the accident or if the two cars were racing.
Due to their age and inexperience, teen motorists are more likely to exhibit reckless driving behaviors, like speeding. On this blog, we have been calling for stronger participation from parents, schools, and the broader community in preventing teen motorists-related accidents. It’s important that parents have regular and frank discussions with their children about the dangers of drunk driving, speeding and other reckless behaviors.
Keeping tabs on your children’s driving may seem horribly old fashioned, but a survey last year showed that teen motorists whose parents are involved in their lives and are aware of their whereabouts, were less likely to be involved in accidents. As Atlanta auto accident lawyers and parents ourselves, we would encourage parents to take a much more active role in their children’s driving practices. Some cars even make it easier for parents to monitor their children’s driving. Ford has its My Key technology that allows parents to set maximum speed limits on their children’s cars, and encourages buckling up by failing to start if the driver or the front seat passenger are not wearing seat belts.