Teen Car Accidents

Whether it’s turning up the music to the highest volume level or piling up the car to go for a ride with friends, every time a teenager gets behind a wheel of a vehicle, they feel the urge to express their freedom. For some teenagers they go above and beyond expressing their freedom. Unfortunately, not all teens are law-abiding drivers. Sometimes freedom leads to car accidents.

It is not surprising that the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States are car crashes. Every 6 teenagers between ages of 16–19 die daily in car accidents everyday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Nashua, and throughout the United States, there are multiple reasons why the accident rate is high among teens. One of the primary reasons are unnecessary distractions. Here are a few common distractions that cause teenagers to lose focus while driving on the road:

• Reckless driving such as speeding or drag racing are common among teenagers.
• Eating food or drinking beverages while driving is a common distraction among teenagers.
• Listening to music too loudly is a distraction for any driver especially for teens who are more likely to lose focus while driving.
• Not focusing on the road cautiously. Teenagers are more likely to run through stop signs and traffic lights then other drivers. They are also more likely to drive beyond the speed limit.
• Updating one’s social media status or checking though notifications can cause a car crash.
• Taking selfies or recording videos while driving is dangerous and a threat to driver safety.
• Talking and texting on the phone while driving is a distraction among teens and adults alike.
• Engaging in drugs or alcohol while driving is automatically a threat to a teenage driver, pedestrians and other drivers on the road.

Another common distraction is when a teenager packs up the car with too many friends. Statistics show that car accident risk increases with each teen passenger in a vehicle. Most people are unaware that it’s illegal to drive with more passengers than there are seat belts in a car, in New Hampshire.

An estimated 40% of teen car accidents happen between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3am In New Hampshire, it’s illegal for teenagers to drive between the hours of 1am and 5am - unless they are driving with a licensed 25-year-old adult.

These driving laws have been put into place to help promote safer driving. Unfortunately, many teenagers turn a deaf ear when it comes to driving safely on the road.

If you are suffering from serious accident injuries, in a teen car accident, you are entitled to recover compensation for your pain and suffering, lost wages and/or medical bills. If an immediate family member has lost his/her life due to a fatal car crash, you may be legally entitled to recover damages for the loss of life and funeral expenses.

To learn more about your legal options feel free to contact us today or give us a call at: 603.548.3797