Georgia Injury Law Blog

The week from October 17-23 is being marked as National Teen Driver Safety Week.For parents in Georgia, Atlanta car accident attorneys, schools and communities, it’s time to renew efforts towards preventing auto accidentsand truck accidents involving teens.

Automobile accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers aged between 15 and 19 and cause a substantial number of teen injuries.Unfortunately, these facts have not changed in spite of years of efforts to prevent teen accidents.This National Teen Driver Safety Week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is launching a campaign called “Parents Have the Key” aimed at encouraging parental involvement in teen motorist safety. We all have to do more to prevent teen auto accidents, but the best place to start preventing accidents is at home.

There’s a reason why a special week for teen motorist safety is commemorated in the month of October.This is the month that is believed to be the deadliest for teen motorists.Nationally, the highest number of car accident claims involving teen motorists is filed in the month of October.

Last week, a teenager was killed in a deadly Cobb County auto accident that also left two children injured.The auto accident made headlines partly because the injured belonged to the family of a gubernatorial candidate.However, it was the loss of yet another teen life in an auto accident that caught our attention.As car accident attorneys in Atlanta and parents, we have strongly promoted teen motorist safety, especially the role of parents in creating a generation of safe teen drivers.A new study indicates that we are right.

According to this study, many parents are making a mistake by allowing teenagers to get their driver’s license even before they’re ready for it.The result is generally more accidents involving young teens than those who waited. The study involved 50 families in North Carolina, who were monitored over a period of four months after the teenager in the family received his driver’s license.The families were monitored through cameras that were installed in the cars of these families.

Approximately 50% of the parents in the study admitted that there were situations in which they were not comfortable letting their child drive.For instance, these parents were not comfortable allowing their children to drive in bad weather or in heavy traffic.However, even among these parents, one third went ahead and allowed their child to get his driver’s license anyway.

Teen Motorist Killed in Cobb County Accident

A teen motorist, who was severely injured in an accident involving the family of gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes, has died from his injuries.17-year-old Mario Zuniga Junior was being treated at Atlanta Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.

On Sunday afternoon, Zuniga was driving his Porsche on Old Mountain Road near Marietta, when his car struck a Honda Odyssey being driven by Allison Barnes Salter.Salter is the daughter of gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes.Her two children were in the car with her.The eldest child, a six-year-old, sustained facial lacerations and a four-year-old girl was seriously injured in the crash.She had to undergo surgery for a broken arm and shoulder.The family had been out running errands at the time of the accident.According to police, the only reason why the children survived the accident was that they were safely restrained in their car.The airbags in the Honda Odyssey also deployed, minimizing the possibility of injuries.

Fatal Georgia School Bus Accident Reignites Seatbelt Debate

The death of a 17-year-old student in a school bus accident in southern Georgia this week has again raised questions about whether the state needs to make it mandatory for all school buses to come with seatbelts.

The accident which occurred on Monday afternoon, involved a school bus that overturned on Highway 113.The victim, a 17-year-old boy was ejected from the bus.As the bus rolled over, he came under the bus, and was crushed to death.At least 10 other students on the bus suffered injuries.

Four People Killed in Georgia 15-Passenger Van Accident

Four people were killed in an accident caused when a15-passenger van overturned in South Georgia.The accident, which also injured more than 15 other people in the van, occurred on US Highway 27 in southwest Georgia.The occupants were members of a church group on their way to an event in Florida.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, the van’s rear right tire blew out, causing the driver to lose control of the van.The van flipped over several times, ejecting all of the passengers.The pastor of the church, the Tabernacle of Prayer and Deliverance in Columbus, and three other occupants of the van, were killed in the crash.Injured persons were airlifted to nearby hospitals.In all, there were 19 people on board ranging in age from 11 months to adults in their 40s.

One Killed in Canton Truck Accident

A 22-year-old man was killed in a multi-vehicle accident involving a tractor-trailer and two passenger vehicles in Canton last week.The accident occurred on Wednesday evening on the exit ramp from Interstate 575 to GA 140.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a tractor-trailer ran a stop light at an intersection, and struck a Chevrolet Tahoe.The impact caused both vehicles to hit a Honda Prelude.The driver of the Honda Prelude, a 22-year-old resident of Canton, sustained serious injuries, and was declared dead at the scene.The driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe was also injured.

Decline in Highway Fatalities Could Actually Jeopardize Auto Safety Legislation

Last week, we reported about a nationwide decline in highway fatalities that has been traced to enhanced auto safety, greater use of seatbelts and better DUI enforcement.Ironically, it now seems like opponents of the massive auto safety bill that is currently pending in Congress, will use these reduced highway fatality rates to actually scuttle the legislation.

The safety measures were developed in response to the Toyota crisis which broke last year, and involved cars accelerating to high speeds before crashing.In the days after four members of a California family died when their Lexus accelerated to high speeds and crashed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was found to be severely wanting in its regulatory functions and oversight of auto companies.The federal agency has little power to announce recalls on its own, and must rely on automakers to take proactive steps to protect American consumers.