Teen drivers in Louisiana and throughout the country are more likely to be involved in motor vehicle accidents than any other age group. Furthermore, most people who are injured or killed in a crash that involves a teen driver are not the motorist. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, in 2013, more than 370,000 injuries and over 2,900 deaths were in crashes involving a teen driver.
The Foundation released a report in May 2015 just prior to what is referred to as the “100 Deadliest Days.” This is the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day when the rate of crashes involving teenagers rises. AAA has worked for years to raise awareness of teen driving dangers among families, and among drivers ages 15 to 19, fatal crashes involving teen drivers have gone down 56 percent while those involving injuries have been reduced by 51 percent in the last two decades. However, motor vehicle accidents still remain the leading cause of death for teenagers.
AAA examined crashes for teen drivers from 1994 through 2013 and released several findings. Of people killed and injured in crashes involving teens behind the wheel, 66 percent and 67 percent respectively were people other than the teens.
Many people may think their own insurance or another driver’s insurance will protect them financially in an accident unless the other driver is uninsured or underinsured. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, insurance companies offer too little to injured people after a car crash. The catastrophic injuries that may result from a car accident can be devastating, and a person might be unable to return to work temporarily or even permanently. An attorney may be able to negotiate with the insurance company or might assist in filing a lawsuit against the responsible party.
