Tips to Keep New Georgia Teenage Drivers Safe

Cutting the cord and allowing your teen to get “behind the wheel” in Georgia can be a great milestone for your child. However, both the immaturity and inexperience of teens place them at a higher risk of auto accidents, injuries, and fatalities. The reason being, teens are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors such as speeding and driving under the influence or without wearing their seatbelt.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the crash rates for teen drivers are three times the rates for drivers aged 20 and older. And if your child has been involved in a car accident, the personal injury attorneys of Powell and Associates in Atlanta can help.

We’ll work to protect your child’s rights and ensure your family is compensated for any suffered injuries or any wrongful death due to the recklessness or negligence of another motorist.

Since prevention is your child’s best defense, we’ve provided a few helpful tips to keep your Georgia teenage drivers safe.

Teach Your Teen Safe Driving Practices

Teaching your teen to practice safe driving habits and observe all traffic rules and regulations from day one of driving is one of the best ways to keep them safe on the roads. Although he/she may take driver’s education classes or gained formal behind-the-wheel practice, it always helps to reinforce safety rules and defensive driving. Remind your teenager to always:

• Wear his/her seatbelt
• Maintain a safe driving distance
• Adhere to traffic lights and stop signs
• Never text or talk while driving
• Never drink and drive

Avoid or Restrict Night Driving

Night driving can be tricky even for experienced adult drivers and very riskier for teenagers. Teen driving after dark increases the risk of crashes and fatalities. Poor visibility, for example, can impair the proper judgment of distance.

Other motorists are more likely to be fatigued coming from work or under the influence of alcohol coming from a social event. To keep your teen safe, restrict them from driving at least 1-2 hours before nightfall.

Limit or Restrict Other Teen Riders

Allowing your teen to carry teen passengers in their car encourages distracted driving and increases the risk of a crash. A study by Texas A&M Transportation Institute concluded that novice drivers between the ages of 15 and 17 are about eight times more likely than older drivers to be involved in a fatal accident when accompanied by teenage passengers.

To reduce the risk, Georgia Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Laws stipulate no passengers during the first 6 months of being a learner driver and no more than one passenger under the age of 21 during the second 6 months.

Enforce Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Laws

You should phase in driving privileges for your new teen driver in Georgia by enforcing the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Laws. The laws are designed to help your teen acquire the necessary driving skills and experience before gaining full driving privileges.

Under the laws, a teen should be no younger than 15 before learning to drive and must go through the learner stage for at least 12 months. Your teen should get the required 40 hours of supervised driving lessons, 6 of which must be at night.

Contact the Personal Injury Attorneys at Powell & Associates

If your young teenage driver has been involved in accident, the personal injury attorneys at Powell & Associates can help. We offer decades of experience helping parents protect the rights of their young teenage drivers.
Give us a call at 404-365-7077 or complete our online contact form.