Providence, RI (PRWEB) May 12, 2012
Providence car accident lawyer Mark Gemma today encouraged Rhode Island parents to talk to their teen drivers about safe driving practices as part of National Youth Traffic Safety Month in May.
Teenagers go to proms in May and school lets out. Its a happy time when teens should be care-free, but driving is a new and important responsibility for many of them, said Gemma of the Providence personal injury firm, Gemma Law Associates, Inc.
Youth Traffic Safety Month presents a good opportunity for parents to sit down with the teenage drivers in their homes and remind them of the responsibility that comes with the privilege of driving an automobile, he said.
The National Organizations for Youth Safety sponsors National Youth Traffic Safety Month each May.
Gemma, whose law firm handles personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of car accident victims and their families in Providence, Newport and surrounding areas, said statistics show that vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the U.S., with summer being the most dangerous time of the year for young drivers.
Parents are their childrens top role models, Gemma said. Demonstrating to your teenager that safe driving is a serious matter by discussing it with them and modeling safe behavior yourself is the best thing parents can do to ensure their childrens safety on the roads.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says more than 5,000 teens (ages 16-20) are killed in passenger vehicle crashes each year. An average of 422 teens die in traffic crashes during each of the summer months as compared to a monthly average of 363 teen deaths during non-summer months, the NHTSA says.
Gemma cited a recent report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety that said teens are more likely to get into car crashes when distracted by passengers, and that nearly two out of three people killed in teen-driver wrecks are not the driver. The likelihood of a teenage driver wrecking their car doubles with one passenger, AAA says. It increases five-fold with two passengers.
AAA points out that teen drivers often become the family chauffeur, driving younger siblings, Gemma said. Driving becomes routine, but it is really an awesome responsibility.
Gemma said inexperienced teen drivers are likely to have problems managing their speed and the interval between their vehicles and other cars. They are also likely to not have developed solid habits of checking visually before changing lanes or of checking blind spots.
But, the veteran Rhode Island vehicle accident attorney said, teens are also more likely to engage in such risky behavior as speeding, using cell phones and other electronic devices behind the wheel and using alcohol before or while driving.
Some teenage driving accidents are a product of inexperience, but many are caused by negligent and reckless behavior, Gemma said. Gemma Law Associates supports all efforts to promote safe driving, but when people are injured because of an individuals negligence, we will seek justice for the injured.
About Gemma Law Associates, Inc.
The Providence personal injury lawyers of Gemma Law Associates, Inc., have represented the people of Rhode Island for more than 48 years while earning a reputation for success in several practice areas. The firm assists clients injured in car accidents, drunk-driving accidents. It also assists clients in areas that include workers compensation, Social Security disability, divorce, criminal defense and bankruptcy law. The law firms staff works as a team to ensure success in cases and is backed by a state-of-the-art collection of resources, including an advanced computerized case management system and extensive legal library.
Gemma Law Associates, Inc., is located at 231 Reservoir Avenue, Providence, RI, 02907. The firm represents clients throughout the state of Rhode Island, including Providence, Pawtucket, Warwick, Washington County and Newport County. To learn more, call (401) 467-2300 or use the firms online contact form.
