During the holiday season and as the weather is changing it may be a good time to talk to your teen about the dangers of driving this time of year. Your biggest priority is to keep them safe but that may not always be the biggest priority of the teen. Cognitively teens don’t always make the best decisions due to their driving inexperience. Our New York car accident attorneys want to urge parents to talk to their teens in an effort to help keep them safe..
New York State Department of Health reports that passenger vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens ages 15-19. Each year approximately 73 teenagers in New York are killed in motor vehicle crashes with the most probable cause being speeding or driving too fast in adverse conditions. Teen are also prone to not using their seat belt.
New York is one of 10 states targeted by the National Safety Council for a new teen driver safety program. TheNSC is teaming up with the Allstate Foundation in an effort to reduce teen driver fatalities in passenger vehicle crashes. In 2009, there were about 3,500 teens killed in car accidents, not to mention thousands who were hospitalized to treat serious injury.
The goal of the program is to change teen behaviors and attitudes about driving. The goal is to form groups consisting of family members who have lost a teen, health professionals, state and local officials, teens and their parents, and others who will go out and talk to the public about teen crash stats and safety issues when driving. Education is the first step in making a change for the better.
New York parents who automatically set rules and limitations on their teen’s driving often find themselves in a predicament because the teen wants to rebel against them which in turn could increase the chance of getting into an accident. The New York Department of Health offers a suggestion to parents. Once your teen passes their driver’s test sit down with them and design an agreeable contract between you. In the contract you can state the limitations you feel are most important like driving with a teenage friend, or driving at night is prohibited. Make it clear to the teen that with time and experience the limitations will be removed. Most importantly, draw a clear line of the consequences if the rules are broken so that the teen understands that good driving behavior leads to good things but breaking the rules only sets them back farther.
If your teen is involved in a New York City automobile accident, call the Law Offices of Nicholas Rose for an appointment at 718-261-0549. Serving all of New York City, including Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and Long Island.
