Getting your driver’s license when you are a teenager has become a rite of passage in the United States. Many teens get their first car shortly after obtaining their license and they will inevitably have their first accident shortly after that.
A person can get a driver’s license when they are 16 in the Empire State. This causes stress for many parents and anxiety for adult drivers on the streets of the state’s cities.
Fatal Accident Statistics
According to the Center for Disease Control, teen drivers have more crashes than any other age group. Driver’s who are between 16 and 19 are three times as likely to die behind the wheel as drivers who are just 20 years old. The newer their license is, the more likely they are to have an accident.
Most teen driver accidents take place in the middle of the night between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am. The accidents tend to be more severe because teens are less likely to wear seatbelts when they are driving with other teenagers.
Males are more likely to have accidents in general and teenage boys are no exception to the rule. Boys are twice as likely to have a fatal accident as their female counterparts.
Distracted Driving
Today’s teens were raised in a digital world. Smartphones have been around since 2008 and many kids have had them since they were small children. Instagram and Snapchat are an important part of most people’s lives and social media is a way of life for most teenagers.
Kids communicate by text message and they often do not have the judgment that adults do. Using a cell phone while driving results in approximately 1.6 million crashes a year.
Insuring Your Teen Driver
Teen drivers need to have auto insurance, just like everyone else. The younger you are and the less experience you have, the more you will have to pay for auto insurance. Insurance for a teen driver will generally cost between $4,200 to $5,500. If you keep your record accident free the price will go down as you age.
There are two kinds of insurance rules in the United States, fault and no-fault. In a fault state, the person who is responsible for an accident is responsible for its related expenses. In a no-fault state, a driver’s own insurance will pay for their injuries and damage to their car regardless of who has caused the crash. You can find out more information here: click hlgny.com.
New York is a no-fault state. If your teen has an accident, their insurance must pay their bills.
Insurance companies are staffed with highly trained lawyers and adjusters whose job it is to keep the company’s money in-house. It is important to consult with a personal injury attorney who will be able to negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf.
Getting a driver’s license is one of the happiest days in a teen’s life and one of the scariest for a parent. If you insure your teen and educate them about road safety, they will have a better chance of becoming adult drivers.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
Speak Your Mind