Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for 18 to 20 year old people in America. About 5,500 deaths and 450,000 injuries occur each year involving teen driving.
Wrecks involving teens are probably most attributable to inexperience and judgment errors caused by not having enough time behind the wheel. Thus, practice driving is key. Each state, including Virginia, mandates a certain amount of practice time for teenagers starting with the learner’s permit. Only by logging enough hours can a teenager learn how to safely handle all of the important challenges of driving a vehicle.
There are resources to help parents learn how to teach their kids to drive. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles puts out a guidebook on this, which can be downloaded at www.dmv.virginia.gov. Another resource put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents to require a safe driving contract with their teens. A copy of such a document can be found at www.aap.org. Another internet resource on the subject is www.safeteendriving.org.
Being a safe driver and avoiding auto accidents is not something you are born with. It is something that you have to learn. The lessons that an adult may have learned over decades of driving need to be re-enforced as early as possible with teenagers. Even basic methods of avoiding car crashes may not be obvious to a teenager, such as not driving when you are sleepy and avoiding distractions while driving. Teenagers with multiple passengers in their vehicle also create a risk of motor vehicle crashes. Having other kids in the car tends to distract the driver. Focusing all of your attention on the road is critical. Teenagers need to be told not to use their cell phones or to blast their music while driving. With a little practice, your teenager has a better chance of making it safely to Carnegie Hall or wherever their destination may be.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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