What Every Teen Should Know Before Climbing Into the Driver’s Seat

Every year in America, nearly three million people are injured in car accidents. Statistically, males get into 50% more accidents than females do, but every driver will, on average, file an accident claim every 18 years — regardless of his or her gender. In fact, the chances are quite good that you or someone you know has been in a serious or relatively serious car accident at some point in life.

But no one is more at risk on the open roads than teenagers. The numbers back it up, too, as do the increased insurance rates for folks under the age of 25. The average teen admits to sending 23 texts per month while behind the wheel, and an even more staggering number — a full 86% — admit to purposely driving while distracted even though 84% know how dangerous it is.

We could come up with statistics on car accidents all day long and still nothing would change. It helps to illustrate that there are real consequences to distracted driving, and the most common ones involve either a hefty hospital bill or even larger legal fees. If teens know enough to avoid dealing with auto accidents lawyers because of distracted driving, they might think twice before pulling out their phone to send a text while driving 70 miles per hour.

All they need is a little reminding. For starters:

Slow Down.
By estimation, 40% of all deadly car accidents are brought about because of vehicles traveling too fast. Everyone knows that speeding is dangerous, yet we tend to do it anyway because it’s easy and convenient. But hiring an attorney for personal injury cases isn’t quite as convenient, and can often result in thousands of dollars in legal bills when your case is finally taken to court. Before you put the pedal to the floor, ask yourself: How much is it worth it to get to my destination five minutes earlier?

Know Your Chances.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly 60% of all personal injury lawsuits related to auto accidents are won by the plaintiff. If you’re the cause of the accident because of your excessive speeding — or texting, or any other distraction — that means your chances of beating the rap don’t look so good. Even the best attorney for personal injury cases won’t be able to help defend you against an airtight case.