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Personal Injury and Automobile Accidents
- Tidewater area drivers: Beware, more Toyota recalls!
- Victim's Family Files Suit Against Winery and Market for Their Role in DUI Automobile Accident
- Will VDOT approve raising the speed limit to 70mph more Virginia roads?
- Driver, cyclist killed in Fairfax crash
- Virginia Beach, Norfolk law enforcement focusing on seat belt use
Firm News
Norfolk VA car & bicycle accident leaves cyclist injured
Posted on 7/29/2010
Virginia Beach police officer, civilian taken to hospital after crash
Posted on 7/27/2010
Virginia Beach car wreck kills one and injures three others
Posted on 7/27/2010
Tidewater motorists, get ready for a new seat belt law
Posted on 6/30/2010
Windsor woman dies in tragic car wreck on Rt. 258
Posted on 6/29/2010
Pickup truck wreck injures three in Suffolk
Posted on 6/29/2010
Homeless man killed by dump truck accident at Virginia Beach
Posted on 6/29/2010
Fatal Car Crash in Norfolk on I-64 Blamed on Speed & Weather
Posted on 5/31/2010
Virginia Beach man killed in serious auto wreck on I-264
Posted on 5/28/2010
Three men thrown from car in fatal crash
Posted on 5/20/2010
Firm Library
Personal Injury and Automobile Accidents
- Virginia Crash Victims: What You Need to Know About Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
- What three mistakes could WRECK your Virginia auto accident claim?
- Virginia motorists: What does the MOVE OVER law mean for you?
- Study of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake schools asks: does more sleep for teens mean fewer car crashes?
- How a Virginia Auto Accident Attorney Can Make a BIG Difference In Your Case
Auto accident risk factors for Virginia’s teen drivers
One in three teen deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to motor vehicle accidents. In fact, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers. Per mile, teens are four times more likely to become involved in a motor vehicle accident than older drivers.
While individuals aged 15 to 24 make up only about 14 percent of the US population, young men account for 30 percent of auto accident injury costs and young women account for 28 percent ($19 billion and $7 billion respectively).
Why are young drivers at risk?
There are three main reasons that younger drivers face more danger on the road:
- Inexperience behind the wheel. Young drivers are new to driving, and without years of experience under their belt teens are prone to making mistakes behind the wheel. In fact, the crash risk is highest for a novice driver the first year they have their license.
- Peer distraction. When teenagers drive, they often take their friends with them. While this may be enjoyable for the young driver, it is extremely dangerous. The greater the number of teen passengers with a novice driver, the greater the risk that the driver will have an accident.
- Gender matters. Young men are much more likely than women to be involved in a motor vehicle accident. The traffic crash death rate for young male drivers is one and a half times that of female drivers.
Teen driver accident risk factors
- As new drivers, teens often underestimate the danger of a situation or they may not recognize that a road hazard is unsafe.
- Teens often follow the car in front of them too closely.
- Speed is a major factor in young driver car crashes.
- Even though teens aren’t legally old enough to drink, 24 percent of those involved in a fatal car crash had been drinking and almost all of them were over the legal limit of 0.08.
- Teen drivers and their passengers don’t always wear their seat belts, something that dramatically increases their risk of being seriously injured or killed in a traffic accident.
- About 75 percent of teens who die in motor vehicle accidents after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt.
- Teens are more likely than older Americans to send or read text messages while driving, an activity that dramatically increases the risk of an accident.
If you or someone you love needs help after being injured in a serious motor vehicle accident, then you need to contact the experienced traffic crash attorneys at Weisberg & Zaleski. You can call our Norfolk based office to discuss your case confidentially with one of our lawyers for no cost or obligation.
Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
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Michael S. Weisberg, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
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