In Florida and other States, a car accident involving a teen can involve one of three situations:
In the State of Florida, a teen can get a Learner's Restricted Driver's License at the age of 15. In order to obtain a Learner's License, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles - Division of Driver's License requires the person 15 years of age or older to pass an examination that includes the Road Rules and Road Signs. The applicant must also pass a vision exam and a hearing exam. A teen can later apply for a Class E - Florida Driver's License if the teen had his or her Learner's License for one year and passes an examination that includes the Road Rules, the Road Signs, and, yes, the actual Driving of a motor vehicle. The teen must also pass the vision exam and hearing exam. Finally, a parent or guardian must certified that the teen has driven a total of 50 hours behind the wheel with at least 10 of those hours being at night.
Once a teen obtains his or her Class E Driver's License, the teen has all of the rights and responsibilities of other drivers. In the State of Florida, the standards for negligence or fault are not changed or modified in any manner due to the youth and / or inexperience of the driver. Unfortunately, many serious accidents take place as a result of an inexperienced driver failing to operate his or her vehicle in a safe and reasonable manner.
There are many conscientious teen drivers on the road through no fault of their own are involved in an automobile accident. There is no presumption of fault just because a young and inexperienced driver is involved in a Florida car accident. For instance, let's say that a 16 year old river is stopped at a red light on a clear and sunny day. A 40 year old driver of a pick up truck then rear ends the teen who was in a compact vehicle. Police arrive on the scene. Under these circumstances, it appears clear that the 40 year old was 100 % at fault for the crash and should be issued the citation. Under these circumstances, it is irrelevant how old the teen driver was or how long the teen driver had a Florida driver's license.
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, David Wolf has handled a number of accidents in which a teen driver or teen passenger was involved in the accident. David Wolf understands that each case should be evaluated on the facts, merits, circumstances, and evidence. David Wolf firmly believes in Giving a Voice to Injury Victims and Their Families. He is the author of 12 books including the book titled - Florida Automobile Accidents - Personal Injuries - Keys to Protecting and Enforcing Your Legal Rights and the book titled - When the Wheels Stop Spinning - Legal Rights of the Injured Child - What Parents Need to Know After the Accident. You can get these and other books for free by completing the form on the Contact Us Page of this website.
Florida has unique laws and regulations in place for accidents, police reports, insurance, and persona injury compensation. Because of these unique laws and regulations, the injury victim should hire an experienced car accident attorney for guidance, advice, and, yes, legal representation. David Wolf provides a Free Consultation for all car accident and personal injury cases. Contact David Wolf right now to get a Free Consultation. Get D Wolf - On Your Side - At Your Side.