Teen Car Accidents In Louisiana: Is It Worth Hiring A Car Accident Lawyer? 

The excitement of getting a driver’s license can quickly turn into misery when a teenager is involved in a car accident.

Teenage drivers in Louisiana are often oblivious to the risks and obligations accompanying the privilege of driving. Teen drivers are more likely to misjudge dangerous situations, and their lack of driving experience can result in severe injuries to themselves and other motorists with whom they share the road.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), six teenagers die from car accident injuries daily. When a teen causes a severe vehicle crash, the outcome can be devastating for the families of everyone involved, mainly if injuries in teen car accidents are fatal.

Startling Facts And Statistics On Accidents Involving Teens In Louisiana And The United States

· Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death among teenagers in the United States. 

· Teens are ten times more likely to be involved in a fatal car accident than adults.

· Eleven percent of drivers involved in fatal car accidents in the country were between fifteen and twenty. 

· Forty-three percent of first-year and thirty-seven percent of second-year drivers are involved in motor vehicle accidents.

· About three thousand teens (eight teens a day) die yearly from DUI crashes.

· Fifty-two percent of teen-related motor vehicle accidents occur on weekends.

· Nearly thirty-three percent of high-school students in the country have texted while driving.

· Thirty-one percent of all fatal teen accidents are caused by speeding.

· The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that the risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher for ages sixteen to nineteen than any other age group. Teens are almost three times more likely than drivers aged twenty and over to be involved in a fatal crash.

· According to a National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study, teen drivers were two-and-a-half times more likely to participate in one or more risky behaviors when driving with a peer than if they were going alone. The same study found that the likelihood of risky behavior increased even further with multiple passengers in the car. 

· Louisiana has a higher motor fatality rate among teens than other states, ranking within the top fifteen in the country.

· Louisiana has 38.40 deaths per 100,000 teenage drivers. 

· 43.0% of teens in Louisiana text and drive (9.7% worse than average). 

· Ten percent of teens in Louisiana drink and drive (81.8% worse than average), and

· 12.5% of teens in Louisiana rarely wear a seat belt(111.9% worse than average). 

Requirements For A Teen Driver’s License In Louisiana 

Temporary Instructional Permit (TIP)

All applicants in Louisiana must apply to the Office of Motor Vehicles for a class E Temporary Instructional Permit (TIP) before participating in the knowledge test, operation of a motor vehicle during on-road driving skills instruction or participation in the on-road driving skills test. The TIP is issued to anyone at least fourteen years of age. The TIP allows a driver education student to operate a motor vehicle when accompanied by a driver education instructor and when completing behind-the-wheel instruction or during the administration of a skills test.

 Learner’s Permit

An applicant must possess a temporary instructional permit and complete all required testing before becoming eligible for issuance of a learner’s permit. 

An applicant must be at least fifteen before a learner’s permit can be issued.

It is mandatory to hold a learner’s permit for at least one hundred eighty days unless the applicant is seventeen or older.

Full License

An applicant must be at least seventeen years of age and must pass the vision, knowledge (written) test, and road skills test to be issued a full license. If the applicant doesn’t understand the written English language well, they may bring a translator to assist with any class knowledge tests. 

Why Are Teen Car Insurance Rates In Louisiana So High?

Louisiana is known for its fantastic food, festive cities, and great music. But unfortunately, the state is also known for its expensive car insurance, especially for teens. Louisiana has a high rate of uninsured drivers and auto litigation. 

The average monthly insurance premium for teens in Louisiana is $627. The average monthly premium in other states in the country is $236.

Insurance companies in the Pelican State play by the statistics and facts, which do not favor teen drivers. Teenagers have worse driving records and higher accident rates. They tend to display impulsive and reckless behavior. Some Insurance companies play their part in lowering accident rates by offering discounts to teenagers who have attended driver training courses and defensive driving training programs. Promising students who maintain good grades are also offered discounts.

Bart Bernard Injury Lawyers: Our Louisiana Car Accident Lawyers Have A Profound Influence On The Outcome Of Car Accident Cases

With an experienced car accident attorney in Louisiana, your claim will live up to its potential. Those who try to settle their teen accident claims independently get a raw deal from insurance companies. Due to a lack of knowledge of legal procedures and errors in their claims, a case is over before it begins for many accident victims who do not hire a personal injury attorney.

Just after your accident, when trying to focus on healing and recovery, you are flooded with calls, messages, and requests from insurance companies, police, doctors, and others, which can be overwhelming and stressful.

A personal injury lawyer at Bart Bernard Injury Lawyers will perform the following duties while you focus on your rehabilitation and recovery:

· Explain to you how the accident affects your legal rights; 

· Help you understand complicated legal procedures and interpret medical and insurance jargon; 

· Get you through the maze of paperwork required in filing a claim. There are specific time limits, restrictions, and rules for filing a personal injury claim in Louisiana. The experienced attorneys at our Louisiana personal injury law ensure that your claim is presented at the earliest per the Statute of Limitations prevailing in the state, which is one year; 

· Help you decide your future course of action and 

· Rather than relying on what the insurance adjusters think you should get, the seasoned auto accident lawyers at our law firm will calculate the value of your claim based on your financial losses and non-economic damages.

One of the most important factors an insurance company uses to place a value on an accident claim is the lawyer representing the victim.

Insurance companies keep track of each lawyer they pay settlements to. They also track how much money they spend to settle claims against the attorney. Their worst nightmare is when an accident victim with severe injuries hires such an attorney.

Reputation is critical in an attorney’s career and must be developed. Over the past twenty-five years, Louisiana personal injury attorney Bart Bernard has acquired a stellar reputation all across Louisiana for successful verdicts against large insurance companies with distinguished legal teams. Attorney Bernard knows what it takes to unlock the actual value of an accident case.  

His reputation alone can be enough to increase the value of the settlement. 

At Bart Bernard Injury Lawyers, legal representation should be available for all, regardless of financial and social standing.

If you or your loved one sustained injuries due to the carelessness or negligence of a teen driver in Louisiana, you deserve to be compensated for the injuries and other damages. Call our firm’s experienced Louisiana car accident lawyer for a free case evaluation immediately.