DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

As recently reported by the Washington Post, another tragic accident has claimed the lives of four local teenagers.  The high school basketball players were returning home from shooting baskets after school.  Three of the teens were declared dead at the accident site, another died the following morning.  Only one of the passengers survived the crash.

A deadly combination of speed, inexperience, distraction, and illegal passengers stopped these young lives.  According to the police, the driver was speeding when he veered onto the shoulder of the road, then overcorrected, causing the car to spin and slide sideways into the path of an oncoming vehicle.  None of the occupants were wearing seat belts.  Loud music was blaring from the car's speakers.  The 16-year-old driver had just obtained his license only a couple of months prior to the accident.  A 2005 Maryland law prohibits teenage drivers from having anyone under 18 in the car with them for the first five months after obtaining a license. 

Teenage driving is inherently dangerous, for exactly the reasons that caused this accident.  Parents and their teenagers should use an incident like this as an opportunity to review their family ground rules for driving.   We have previously provided a number of articles to assist parents in reinforcing safe driving habits for their children.

• Back-to-school safety tips for teen drivers and their parents
• Drowsy teens are dangerous drivers
• Teen parties and driving
• More tips for teens about parties and driving
• Teen driver expectation programs
• Benefits of graduated licenses