Reports: Teen drivers in Missouri pose additional hazards

On Behalf of | Jul 18, 2019 | Auto Accident

According to a recent report, Missouri ranks as one of the worst states for teen drivers.

To be clear, though, the report did not just assess the quality of this state’s teenage drivers. Rather, it examined the state’s overall driving climate, including what laws Missouri has in force to make sure that teens are prepared to drive responsibly and how much it costs dollar-wise to allow teens to drive in this state.

Missouri fell short both with respect to its laws and to overall safety. With respect to driving laws, the study focused heavily on graduated licensing systems, that is, a legal setup where a teen gradually gets more and more privileges on the road as they gain experience and build a track record for driving safely.

In this respect, Missouri does not, in the opinion of the study’s authors, have a particularly robust graduated licensing system, meaning that a young driver is more prone to just being given free rein without acquiring enough experience.

When it comes to driving safety, another category in which Missouri could use improvement, the study examined things like the number of teen fatalities that are traffic-related and the number of teenagers who face DUI charges.

While many teenagers, and their parents, look forward to the freedom to drive a car, many teenagers die in auto accidents, which are the leading cause of death for people ages 16 through 19. Moreover, teen drivers are disproportionately responsible for those costs associated with injury accidents.

A Kansas City resident who gets hurt by a negligent teen driver may have legal options available to him or her. One legal option could include filing a personal injury lawsuit.

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