Handling Your Teen’s First Car Accident

Your teen’s first year of driving is bound to be the most dangerous. Teen drivers are at a greater risk for becoming involved in a motor vehicle accident due to lack of skill and practice and exposure to a variety of distractions. While your teen driver may be excited to take his first joyride down the sunny Sacramento roads, he must be prepared to drive safely. As the leading cause of death and permanent injury in teens, car accidents can have devastating consequences for young adults just learning to drive. If your teen has become involved in a car accident, don’t panic. There are many things you should know to better understanding teen crashes.

One of the first things you’ll do as a parent is check to see if your child is okay after an accident has occurred. While injured drivers and passengers should go immediately to the hospital, even injured drivers can be shaken up. Teens should know how to properly document the accident using pictures. They should also share contact and insurance information with the other drivers, but should not discuss the accident in detail.

At your local Department of Motor Vehicles, an accident report will need to be filled out within 48 hours of the accident. Be sure to keep all the documentation and information regarding the accident in a file for future use, including police reports, insurance information and contact information for the other parties involved. This documentation may be handy when filling out accident reports.

Help your teen deal with the aftermath of a car accident by contacting the insurance company. This should be done immediately after an accident, especially if you need a recommendation for a preferred auto collision repair company. In many cases, your teen will need to schedule an appointment with the insurance company to discuss the accident, insurance rates and repair costs for your damaged vehicle.

If this is your teen’s first car accident, your rate may or may not be increased. Many times, a second accident within a three-year period will cause your teen to be removed from your policy. Your child will then have to get his or her own insurance. When car accidents become frequent, your teen’s policy may become permanently cancelled. This means that your teen requires additional driving training and experience.

In some cases, your teen may be cited due to an auto accident. If this happens to your child, be sure that he or she shows up on the court date. Your teen may be able to get the fine decreased by signing up for various programs or by attending driver classes. Call around Sacramento to learn more about the different teen driver courses available to young adults requiring additional driver training.

While no parent ever wants to get the phone call that their teen has been involved in a vehicle accident, it is a common occurrence that may families must deal with. Getting your teen prepared for driving is a major priority to help keep your child safe on the road.