Most parents in New York worry about their children when they start driving for the first time. Teenage drivers experience a high frequency of car accidents, and certain factors can make an accident even more likely. In particular, having multiple teenage passengers can increase the likelihood of getting into a wreck.
Do more passengers make an accident more likely?
Having more passengers in general doesn’t automatically mean more motor vehicle accidents. In fact, when teenagers drive with adult passengers, they’re actually less likely to get into an accident because they’re on their best behavior. But when they’re driving their teenage friends around, the risk of an accident increases significantly.
Multiple studies from the past decade have revealed that carrying multiple teenage passengers can increase the risk of accidents: The risk increases by 44% when they have a single teenage passenger in the vehicle. The risk doubles when they bring two passengers along and quadruples if they have three or more. Their friends might encourage them to engage in risky behaviors on the road as well as distract them when they’re supposed to be paying attention.
Overall, the number of teenage deaths in car accidents has decreased significantly, dropping by 53% since 2000. But despite this, teenagers still make up a large portion of accident victims on the highway. Some states have limited the number of passengers that a teenage driver can have in their vehicle, which has been shown to reduce accidents.
When should you hire an attorney after a car accident?
You may want to hire an attorney if you run into any kind of legal issue or dispute after your accident. For example, if the other driver’s insurance company denies your claim, your attorney may help you seek the compensation that you’re owed.