What to Teach Your Teen in the Event of an Accident
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Teaching your teen what to do in the event of an accident is important. They need to know how they should react if they’re ever involved in a car accident. It’s never too early to have these conversations with them, but it’s even more critical as they get older and start driving themselves or being driven by others. This post will detail several key things to teach your teens about what to do after an auto accident.
How to Handle Injuries
First and foremost, you need to make sure they understand how important it is not to move injured people if they’re in a car crash unless the situation becomes unsafe. Victims should only be moved when there’s no other choice or if someone that is injured is in immediate danger. If someone is injured, they should call 911 immediately.
Staying Safe After an Accident
If the vehicles can be moved after an accident, they should move their auto out of the way of traffic. Moving vehicles to the shoulder or out of the road entirely will help prevent any further accidents. Hazard lights should be turned on and emergency cones should be set up if they have any available. They should also keep themselves away from traffic while waiting for help.
Contacting the Authorities
You should also teach your teen to call for help as soon as possible after the accident occurs and, if it’s safe to do so, always stay at the scene until authorities arrive. If they leave before police or other first responders show up, then they could face serious legal consequences like fines and jail time.
The Importance of Accident Reports
This part goes hand-in-hand with the importance of contacting the authorities. However, it may help to spell out why accident reports are so important. If the police are unable to investigate the crash site and interview drivers, passengers, and witnesses, you’ll be without an accident report. Accident reports are crucial to help determine who is at fault in an accident. They can help with insurance claims and other legal proceedings that may arise after a car accident.
Especially in states such as Florida, which has one of the highest auto-accident rates in the country, having seasoned authorities make an assessment on the nature of the accident could be exactly the thing to save your teenager from having high insurance premiums for years to come. After the investigation, Floridians can access their Florida highway patrol accident reports and have what they need to save money and fight off legal action. Make sure your teen knows all of this so they will be better equipped to handle themselves if they’re ever involved in an auto accident. Having this knowledge could end up saving them time, money, and even their license.
Evidence of the Damage
While accident reports should contain plenty of information for your teenager’s insurance company to mull over, they may also need photographic evidence of the damage to their car. If they can, have your teen take pictures of the accident scene and vehicle damage as soon as possible after the crash. This will help with their insurance claim in addition to the report filed by law enforcement.
What Not to Do
If you’ve never been in a car accident before and have no idea what to do, you could accidentally make the situation worse.
Teach your teen what not to do after an accident, such as:
-Don’t leave the scene of the accident before authorities arrive.
-Don’t admit guilt or apologize for the accident.
-Don’t sign any documents without speaking to an attorney first.
-Don’t agree to a settlement from an insurance company without talking to an attorney or, at least, their parent(s) or guardian(s).
-Don’t speak to the media about the accident.
Only Informed Teens Can Make the Best Out of an Accident
If your teen doesn’t know what to do in the event of an accident, it could put them at risk for sky-high insurance rates. But if they know how to handle themselves after an auto accident, then they’ll be able to save money and avoid legal issues while still getting what’s rightfully theirs. Make sure that you teach your teen all of this and more so they can make the best out of any accident.
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