Driving Without Permission Puts Others at Risk

An 11 year old girl and her mother were killed when a car driven by a fourteen year old rolled over after the driver lost control. The driver, with only a learner’s permit, had very little experience with highway driving when the accident occurred.

Sadly, these types of accidents are becoming more and more commonplace, with non-licensed drivers losing control of vehicles despite calm weather conditions and minimal traffic. The very reason society utilizes learner’s permits is to allow drivers to gain skills under controlled conditions. Sadly, some drivers don’t learn until something terrible has happened.

Other recent incidents of permitted drivers getting into accidents include:

• A teenager crashing into a pizza restaurant in Monmouth
• A subway piloted by a teenager crashing into a Subway restaurant in Plantation, Florida
• An Idaho teen getting into an accident after being observed driving erratically

In each of these situations, there were no other cars that might have been responsible for the accident. The teenage driver was clearly at fault. In two of the situations, there wasn’t even a licensed driver in the vehicle, as is required by law. This, despite it being long established that teenage drivers have much higher incidence of accidents than other drivers.

Though learner’s permits are just one step in getting a driver’s license, they are one of the most important, and are granted only after a potential driver passes a test. Some groups have called for significantly more difficult testing in order to obtain a permit, due to fear that too many young drivers are dangerously under-informed. Still, these accidents have not captured the public consciousness, and for now there is little push to make ensure young drivers are safe before allowing them on the road.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, you can feel like you have limited control over events. There was nothing you could have done to prevent the accident, and sometimes it feels like there is little you can do to hold the guilty party accountable for their actions. Please contact a lawyer and explore all your options for holding the liable party at fault.