Teen Car Accidents

By definition, teenagers lack driving experience. Their brains are also still developing, meaning they have a harder time controlling their impulses and may succumb to poor judgment at times. As a result, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that teens are involved in more car accidents than any other age group. At the Los Angeles car accident law firm of Power Trial Lawyers, we proudly represent accident victims who were injured in collisions involving teen car accidents. With more than a decade of experience investigating our clients’ cases, negotiating with insurance companies, and litigating cases in front of Southern California juries, we know what it takes to get our clients the compensation they need and deserve after a serious accident.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), there were 228,512 teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 who were hospitalized as a result of motor vehicle accidents. The CDC also notes that drivers between 16 and 19 have a three-times greater chance of getting into a fatal car accident than drivers aged 20 and above. While these statistics illustrate the dangers of teen car accidents, they fail to account for those who were injured or killed by teen drivers.

There are a few reasons why teenagers are more likely to cause a car accident. Some of the most common dangerous driving behaviors that teens frequently engage in include:

While people of all ages can find themselves distracted, teenagers are particularly susceptible to distracted driving, in large part because many are glued to their cell phones. Whether a teen is talking, texting or scrolling social media, the result is the same—their eyes are not on the road.

Teens lack both the experience and judgment of adults, which often causes them to overestimate their own abilities, including their ability to drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. According to a 2019 study, almost 17 percent of all teenagers have ridden with another teen who was under the influence of alcohol within the past 30 days.

Driving is one of those things that becomes innate over time; however, young drivers lack the depth of experience that older drivers rely upon when navigating dangerous or complex traffic scenarios. This can lead a teenage driver to make an innocent—but negligent—mistake that can have catastrophic consequences.

Most teens are either at school or work during the day and out and about at night and on the weekends. While nighttime driving can be challenging for motorists of any age, teens are especially at risk of making a mistake. In fact, in 2019, 40 percent of fatal teen car accidents occurred between 9 pm and 6 am, and 52 percent occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

If you’ve been injured in a teen car accident, you may be entitled to compensation to help you cover the financial and non-economic costs you endured. The dedicated Los Angeles car accident attorneys at Power Trial Lawyers can help you understand your rights and effectively pursue a claim against the driver responsible for your injuries.

Yes, in some situations, a parent of a teen who causes an accident can be held financially responsible for any resulting injuries or property damage. However, parents of negligent teens are not on the hook after every accident, as liability in these situations is highly fact-dependent. Those who were injured in a teen car accident and want to learn more about the likelihood of holding the negligent teen’s parents accountable should reach out to an experienced Southern California personal injury attorney.

If you or a loved one was recently injured or killed in a Los Angeles car accident involving a teenage driver, contact Power Trial Lawyers today. At Power Trial Lawyers, we have more than a decade of hands-on experience aggressively pursuing the compensation our clients deserve in all types of accidents, including teen car accidents. To learn more, and to schedule a free consultation with an attorney today, call 844-844-POWER (7693). You can also connect with us through our online contact form. We proudly represent clients in Los Angeles County and Orange County and have conveniently located offices in Los Angeles and Newport Beach.