Chester Law Group Co., LPA | Teen Driving and Texting in Ohio

The beginning of June marked the start of the 100 most deadly days for teen drivers nationwide, with inexperience being the biggest factor in accidents involving teen drivers. This includes recognizing warnings and reacting to situations. There has been a 20-percent decline over the last five years in fatalities involving young drivers. The decline is due to better road engineering, enforcement and education. That progress could be hindered by the newest distraction, texting.

The combination of driving and sending text messages is a recipe for disaster for anyone, especially teens. More than 49 percent of teens said they text while driving and 82 percent said they talk on cell phones while driving, according to a recent nationwide survey by Allstate Insurance. Texting can feel intoxicating behind the wheel -- equal to a 0.16 blood alcohol level, experts say. That's double the legal limit.

Impaired driving is more than drunk driving, it includes all distractions -- using a cell phone, eating, talking, changing a CD, putting on makeup, and more. With failure to control the vehicle and speeding as the top two probable causes of fatalities of teens in Ohio.

Parents of teen drivers need to step up and limit the number of passengers, distractions and times their children are allowed to drive the vehicle. Teens are out of school and driving even more to their jobs, friends or to parties. They need to be reminded to stay alert.


If you have a teen driver in an Ohio car crash, call the Ohio car accident lawyers at Chester Law Group at 1-800-218-4243 or order your FREE BOOK entitled “The Insider’s Guide to Handling Ohio Accident Claims” at www.chesterlaw.com.