Driving is a right of passage here in the United States – at least, that’s how many teenagers rapidly approaching their sixteenth birthday have come to see things. Driving can be great for many reasons, from the convenience of it to the sense of freedom that it provides. But as any car accident attorney knows, driving can be dangerous too.
And while teen drivers are more likely to get in a car accident for a number of reasons, from teenage recklessness to lack of experience in driving, and though up to half of all deaths resulting from car accidents happen to those who are between the very young ages of fifteen and twenty four, teen drivers are not always the cause of car accidents. Unfortunately, there are many reasons for car accidents to occur, and many of these reasons relate back to things that are highly preventable.
The average car accident attorney here in the United States will recommend to parents of teenagers that they educate their teens on how to be safe on the road – and of the grave importance of doing so. On top of this, knowing when to contact a car accident attorney in the event that a car accident does occur is just as important. If you or your child have been the victim of a car accident or other such motor vehicle accident, it is possible that you have a solid personal injury case. If you win your personal injury case either for yourself or on the behalf of your child, it is more likely than not that you will receive a solid sum of settlement money.
Hiring a car accident attorney can help you to navigate what is likely to be the unfamiliar legal world. Said car accident attorney or personal injury lawyer will help you to understand the legal proceedings and can even determine the liability of the car accident itself. Fortunately, the vast majority of car accident cases and personal injury cases are able to be settled outside of the courtroom. In fact, only around five percent to four percent ever even need to be seen before a judge or a jury (or both).
As any car accident attorney will be able to tell you, car accidents are all too common here in the United States, with nearly five and a half million non lethal car accidents and other such motor vehicle accidents occurring before any given year has drawn to a close. In these car accidents, up to three million people will be injured and more than thirty thousand people will die (sometimes as many as thirty thousand people before the year comes to an end). And while some car accidents, such as those that are caused by severe weather, are difficult to prevent, many are very much able to be avoided in the vast majority of cases.
Such is the case with drunk driving or driving while otherwise under the influence. Drunk driving is a widespread problem here in the United States, with as many as three hundred thousand drunk people getting behind the wheel each and every day. Unfortunately, it is estimated that less than four thousand of these people are actually ever arrested, meaning that far too many stay on the road and pose a risk not only to themselves but to everyone that surrounds them as well.
And driving under the influence of drugs other than alcohol also poses a problem, making up more than fifteen percent of the nearly six million car accidents that occur throughout the United States. Legal and illegal drugs alike can cause someone to become hurt in a crash – or even worse, to die – and the intoxicated driver is likely to face serious legal repercussions. It is of the utmost importance to teach our teenage children that they should never drive while in any way intoxicated – and that they should also never get into a car where someone else is an intoxicated driver.
As any car accident attorney can tell you, preventable car accidents are all too common here in the United States and should be addressed very seriously.
