Car Accidents caused by Unlicensed Drivers
The Automobile Club (AAA) may be known as a way to take care of car registration and get towing services, but it’s also a major researcher of road safety. These studies are valuable because they give you a good idea of what conditions on the road are really like, and what precautions you should take.
One of the statistics they have looked at is how many drivers in car crashes are unlicensed or have something wrong with their license, such as having an expired license. In a 2011 study, about 18.2 percent of drivers in crashes either did not have a license or had one that was invalid — and these accidents resulted in over 21,000 deaths. The number of non-fatal injuries involving these drivers was likely much higher.
The study also found that the reasons for not having a proper license were based on suspension and revocation.
This means that as a driver, you need to be much more careful on the road because drivers who lost their licenses at least temporarily due to their bad driving habits are still getting out on the road. That puts you at risk of being injured or killed because someone else didn’t want to stop driving even though the state attempted to stop that person from getting behind the wheel.
An additional risk is that these drivers may also be driving without insurance — and that means that even if you have uninsured-motorist coverage, you could face mounting bills if the coverage isn’t enough.
Contact Eisenberg Law Offices to speak with a lawyer if you or someone you know has been in an accident with an unlicensed driver. You must take action to ensure that you get the compensation you need.