It’s common knowledge that many teenagers are reckless, and recent research has confirmed this fact. It’s an unfortunate reality that many young people start experimenting with alcohol around the same time that they start driving. As frightening as it sounds, the reality is that there are teenagers who drink and get behind the wheel of a car, putting themselves and everyone around them at risk.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides some sobering statistics regarding teenage drunk driving:
- High school teens drive after drinking about 2.4 million times per month
- 85 percent of high school-aged teens who reported drinking and driving in the past month also reported binge drinking, which is defined as have 5 or more drinks within a couple of hours
What these statistics establish is that the risk of being involved in an accident caused by a drunk teenage driver is very real. Fortunately, in most cases, people injured by drunk drivers of any age can recover compensation for their accident-related losses.
Georgia’s Under-21 DUI Laws May Make It Easier to Recover Compensation
Drivers who are under the legal drinking age of 21 are subject to a much lower blood alcohol content (BAC) when driving. Whereas people who are over 21 are guilty of DUI if they drive with a BAC of 0.08 or higher, the BAC limit for drivers under 21 is just 0.02. Because of a doctrine known as negligence per se, teenage drivers that violate this BAC limit can be held liable for accidents they cause without any further evidence of negligence.
What Should You Do if You if a Drunk Teenage Driver Hits You?
In the unfortunate event that you become the victim of a drunk teenage driver, you need to take certain steps to protect your rights.
- Call the police – The first thing you should do is call the police, even if the accident was just a fender-bender or there isn’t significant damage to your vehicle. It’s important to get drunk drivers off the road, and an official determination that the other driver was intoxicated may make getting compensation much easier.
- Get medical attention – You should always seek medical attention after an accident. Not only will it ensure that your injuries are diagnosed and treated, but it will also result in the creation of an official medical record that can be used to establish your damages later.
- Do not accept a settlement offer – After a drunk driving accident, the other driver’s insurance company may reach out to you in a matter of days in an attempt to settle the case before you talk to a lawyer. Do not accept a settlement offer until an attorney has reviewed your case.
- Call a lawyer as soon as you can – Calling an attorney as soon as possible after an accident will maximize your chances of getting the full and fair value of your accident claim.
Call Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC Today to Discuss Your Case with a Personal Injury Lawyer in Gwinnett
If a drunk teenage driver injured you in an accident, you should speak to an attorney as soon as you can. To schedule a free consultation with lawyer David Brauns, call our office today at 404-418-8244 or contact us online.
