The lazy days of summer are coming to a close so Manhattan car accident attorneys want to encourage teens to start the school year off on the right foot by making a concentrated effort to reduce distractions while operating a vehicle.
Driver inattention is one of the leading causes of teen car accidents in New York and elsewhere and has become a serious health threat for drivers in this age group.
Poughkeepsie Journal reports that failing to yield when a driver doesn’t have the right of way, speeding and distracted driving are all common causes of car accidents for all age groups. But driver distraction is gaining in relevance when it comes to teen car crashes in New York.
New York Department of Motor Vehicles reported that in 2007 and 2008, speeding was the leading cause of accidents for two age groups, 16 to 17 year-olds and 16 to 20 year-olds. In 2009, inattention and distraction was the leading contributors to car accidents involving 16 to 20 year-old drivers and failure to yield caused the most accidents for the 16 to 17 year-old age group. There were fewer tickets handed out for cell phone use than speeding in 2009 for young drivers in New York even though the use of a cell phone is completely banned in our state and a common cause of distraction for this age group.
Alcohol played a role in less than 1 percent of fatal crashes in 2009 for young driver’s ages 16 to 17 years-old which has shown a gradual decrease over the last few years. For the 16 to 20 year-old age group, alcohol was more of a contributing factor in fatal crashes. In 2009, almost 2 percent of fatal crashes for this age group were alcohol-related which remains lower than the overall driving population.
In 2010, the Graduated Driver License laws became a little stricter in New York. Two important changes were made that could result in lowering teen car accidents. The first was that junior licensed drivers are now limited to one passenger instead of two riding in the vehicle with them. The second change required the number of supervised driving hours be increased to 50 hours, more than double the 20 hours that were previously mandatory.
The National Safety Council encourages parents to create a GDL program within their household so that young drivers can gain the needed experience before taking their road test. Points of interest to be included in the GDL are:
-Prohibit any use of cell phones while they are behind the wheel.
-Limit teens to no passengers in the inaugural year of obtaining a license.
-Set a 10 p.m. curfew for nighttime driving.
-Zero tolerance for drunk driving.
-Provide the teen with as much supervised driving experience as possible. Create different adverse situations for them to practice in.
If your or a loved one has been involved in a New York car accident involving a teen driver, contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC for experienced advice about your rights. For a free consultation call 1-877-313-ROSE (7673) today.
Additional Resources:
Distraction a growing factor in young driver crashes, by Emily Stewart, Poughkeepsie Journal.
Public Awareness and Enforcement of Distracted Driving Laws Can Reduce Cell Phone-Related Car Accidents in New York City, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, August 6, 2011.
New York Crashes Costly to Victims and Their Families Involved in Manhattan Car Accidents, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, July 26, 2011.
Brutal Accident Remembered – NTSB Targeting Drunk Drivers in New York and Elsewhere, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, July 15, 2011.
