What Should I Do If My Teenager Gets Into a Car Accident?

Whenever our teenage sons and daughters get their driver’s license and take one of the major steps to adulthood, we are always very proud of them. But with parents of driving teenagers, being proud is only one of the feelings. With most parents, there is also the sense of great fear for the safety of your kids. All you can do is hope that they will be responsible and try to drive safely and follow the rules of the road. But what happens when they get into an accident? If the crash was their fault, can you, as the parent, be held responsible for your driving teenager’s car crash?

Teenager Car Accident Statistics in Tennessee

In 2019, there were 13,925 crashes in Tennessee that involved a driver under the age of 18 – that’s more than 38 crashes every single day. Seventy-two percent of teens admitted to participating in risky or illegal driving behavior. The most common offenses included driving above the speed limit, driving or riding without a seat belt, and texting while driving. Research shows that the risk of a fatal crash goes up dramatically in direct relation to the number of passengers in a car.

The likelihood of teen drivers engaging in risky behavior triples when traveling with multiple passengers. One-third of teens reportedly do not know the Graduated Driver License System restrictions on the number of passengers in a vehicle with a teen driver. It is paramount that parents and caregivers both know the law and enforce it with their teens.

When Are Parents Responsible for Their Teenagers’ Car Crashes?

Generally speaking, parents can be held responsible for the car crashes that their children cause when they allow their teenage drivers to get behind the wheel knowing that, for whatever reason, the kids should not be driving. This general category covers many situations.

● Parents know that their teenage driver has a medical condition that would make them an unsafe driver;

● Similarly, if parents know that the medication their teenager requires but did not take will create a dangerous driving situation because the young driver could pass out, become dizzy, have a seizure, or some other medical emergency;

● There is a long history of reckless and unsafe driving on the teenager’s record such as accidents, speeding and other tickets, and overall reckless behavior behind the wheel and the parents let their teenager drive anyway; and

● The parent knowingly supplies their son or daughter with alcoholic beverages and then allows them to get behind the wheel when they are in violation of the law.

The law office of Robert Bates & Associates focuses its practice of helping people who have been seriously injured in car crashes and other accidents in and around the Tri Cities region of Tennessee. Contact us for a free consultation.

Robert BatesRobert is a Kingsport trial lawyer who handles car, truck and motorcycle wreck cases across the Tri-Cities. Every client gets his cell number.