New and young drivers are a concern on Missouri roadways. Their inexperience and propensity to misunderstand important aspects of safe driving can lead to an auto accident with personal injury or even death. One factor that is statistically shown to increase the chance of a collision is a teen driver having a teen passenger.
According to the National Safety Council, just one teen passenger can raise the chance of an accident by 44%. Distracted driving is a major worry with cellphones, but other teens in the vehicle also serve to distract. New drivers lack the experience to manage it. Since it is so dangerous, parents are advised to limit teen driving in these circumstances. Also, siblings should not be passengers. They can be more distracting than friends because of the familiarity with the teen driver.
Parents should not let their teens be passengers in other teens’ vehicles either. A collision can injure them or cause them to lose their lives. Gathering information about the planned trip can be a wise step: It is important to know who is driving, the destination, how long they will be on the road and the driver’s experience level.
It is sound advice to restrict teen drivers from having any young passengers in the vehicle with them during the first six months on the road. A full year could be even more optimal to improve safety. While these strategies are based on research and parents are advised to adhere to the recommendations, it does not necessarily mean that car accidents will be avoided. When there is a crash, there could be injuries and fatalities. For those who were injured or lost a loved one, it may be useful to consider a legal filing with help from a law firm experienced in personal injury claims.