Teen Safe Driving should reduce risk of Tennessee Car Accidents in 2011

Young drivers in Tennessee are showing signs of being safer on the roadways. Our Knoxville car accident attorneys find that hopeful since the 15-20 year old age group is most at risk for being involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes.

Recently, Knox News reported that Tennessee officials were seeing a reduction in fatal car accidents involving teenagers.

Back in 2000, Tennessee initiated a graduated driver’s license law in an effort to keep teens safer. Tennessee currently allows teens once they turn 15 ½ years old to apply for a learner’s permit. The GDL restricts them at age 16 to only driving during certain hours of the day unsupervised. They are also allowed to have no more than one passenger in the car with them at a time.

As a result, state officials believe there has been a decrease in teen fatalities on the roadways. In 2005, there were 136 accidents per 1,000 drivers between the ages of 15-24. By 2009, this number dropped to 111 accidents per 1000 licensed drivers in that same age group. Reports have also shown that teen fatalities have gone down from 104 in 2007 to a preliminary report of 17 teen deaths in 2010.

Some states are adopting the multi-stage license requirements because they feel it gives young drivers time to develop their skills in order to be safer by the time they drive on their own. Safe Kids USA feels that educating your teens is the way to go according to a recent article in Yahoo News .

Safe Kids USA is targeting the 13-14 year old age group with a new program Countdown2Drive. Along with the help of the General Motors Foundation the program will educate teens on what it means to be a safe passenger as well as safe driver. The premise behind the new program is that if teens adapt safety tips now it will keep them safer as they begin to drive and become more independent.

The Tennessee Department of Safety promotes safety by offering the following tips to you and your teen driver:

-Know: research the facts and dangers of driving so that you can teach your teen.

-Show: exercise good driving behaviors when your teen is in the car with you.

-Grow: take the time to build your relationship with your teen so that the lines of communication don’t get blocked. Your young driver should be able to talk to you about driving situations or problems that arise.

Make your teen a priority when it comes time for them to learn to drive. Teaching them good driving behavior will keep them safer on the roadways for years to come.

If you are a loved one has been seriously injured in a Knoxville car accident, the Hartsoe Law Firm can assist you. Call for a free consultation at (865) 804-1011