Drivers education provides important information to teen drivers to help them learn to be safe on the roads. Unfortunately, fewer schools are offering driver's education programs due to budget cuts and some teens are opting for the minimum required drivers education instead of going through a full course. This can result in young people not getting the information that they need to learn how to operate their vehicles and to learn how to recognize signs of problems.
One issue that occurs is that young and inexperience drivers frequently do not know how to maintain their vehicles or how to be on the lookout for potential problems that can affect whether their car is safe to drive. A personal injury lawyer knows that many motor vehicle collisions are caused each year as a result of problems with tires. Too many teens are unaware of how to check their tires or of the importance of ensuring that the tires are properly inflated and not too worn.
Teens Not Receiving Proper Education on Safe Tires
According to Health News Digest, around 12 percent of the 2.2 million annual motor vehicle accidents occur because a problem with vehicle tires. Often, these accidents involve inexperienced drivers who did not get the right education and information about checking to ensure their tires are in good condition. Each year, an estimated 300,000 car crashes occur involving inexperienced drivers that could have been prevented with better driver's education. States need to step up and provide this service to more teens so that there are fewer accidents and fatalities.
Despite the fact that tire-related collisions are so common, only 16 states require that driver's education curriculum include a lesson dedicated to checking and maintaining tires. Only seven states include a specific lesson on proper vehicle maintenance and tire safety.
Because driver's education classes don't provide details to young drivers about their tires, teens tend to learn about tire safety from their parents if they learn it at all. According to one survey, an estimated 3/4 of teens said that their parents were the ones who taught them about how to check and take care of their tires. The problem is that only about 1/3 of parents indicated that they felt knowledgeable about tire care. This means parents without information about tires are the only source of information and too many kids are not learning the lessons they need.
Tire safety is simple and teens should learn a few basic things. Teenagers can use the Lincoln test to determine if a tire tread is worn. By simply putting a penny in the tread, teens can see if Lincoln's head shows. If it does, this means that the tread of the tire is too worn and the tire needs to be replaced.
Teens should also check tire pressure to ensure it is within the manufacturer recommended guidelines. While many vehicles now have automatic tire pressure censors, not all do and teens need to be aware of the risks of tires that are either overinflated or under-inflated.
A Scranton accident attorney at O'Malley & Langan can help. Call (800) 817-2667 today to schedule your free consultation. Serving Lackawanna, Luzerne, Bradford, Schuykill, Lehigh, Monroe, Wyoming and Wayne counties and surrounding areas.
