Georgia Injury Law Blog
Under Georgia law, several restrictions are placed on teenage drivers. This is done to help reduce the risk of accidents due to inexperience or high risk behavior. A new study indicates to our Atlanta car accident attorneys exactly how important it is for parents to be involved in preventing accidents involving their teenage children.
The study, conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, found that a teenage motorist’s risk of being killed in an accident increases proportionately to the number of young passengers he has in his car. That finding isn’t unexpected, but the study does confirm some frightening facts about teen driver safety.
According to the survey, a teenager’s risk of being killed in an accident increases by 44% when he is traveling with one passenger below the age of 21. That is a staggering increase in risk, and should come as an eye-opener to many parents of teens. Further, when the teenager is traveling with two passengers under 21, his risk doubles, and when he is traveling with three or more passengers under 21, the risk of an accident increases by four times.
The good news is that parents can offset some of these risks by accompanying teenage children in the car. The study found that when a teenager is accompanied by an adult above the age of 35, the risk of being killed in an accident dropped by 62%.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety offers some tips for parents who want to minimize their child’s risk of being involved in an accident.
First, it is highly recommended that parents sign a parent-child driving agreement that clearly establishes rules for driving practices. One of those rules should include a provision that says that your child will not ride in a car being driven up by a teen motorist, without your permission.
Similarly, you can have your child agree that he will not have more than a certain number of under 21 passengers in the car when he is driving.
If you or a loved one has been injured in car accident, contact the Atlanta injury attorneys at our firm. We will help you move forward with your recovery.