Teen Killed in Head-on Crash in Jackson Township
It is always sad when a teen is killed in a car accident. Sadly, a recent crash in New Jersey led to the fatality of a 16-year-old boy.
The teen was killed in a head-on car accident on the evening of October 8 in Jackson Township. A Ford F-150 pickup truck was heading east on East Veterans Highway when it crossed into the westbound lanes near West Lake Court. The truck then collided head-on with a Nissan Altima, which burst into flames on impact.
The teen was inside the Nissan. He was pulled out of the burning car and bystanders performed CPR on him. Emergency crews arrived at the accident scene and took him to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood. The boy later died from his injuries.
The 18-year-old girl driving the Ford and her front-seat passenger were taken to that same hospital for minor injuries. The teen who died was a student at Jackson Township High School.
The school district is offering counseling, support services, and crisis resources for families.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Jackson Township police.
New Jersey Graduated Driver License (GDL)
In New Jersey, new drivers follow a three-step Graduated Driver License system. At age 16, they can start with a Student Learner’s Permit, which requires parental consent, enrollment in a driving school, passing knowledge and vision tests, and completing six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. Permit holders must drive with a supervising adult, follow strict rules like no driving between 11:01 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., no electronic devices, display decals, and log at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 at night.
At age 17, after holding the permit for six months and passing the road test, they can move to a Probationary License. This allows unsupervised driving but keeps restrictions such as limited passengers, curfew hours, no electronic devices, and mandatory decals. This stage lasts one year. At age 18, after a full year of violation-free driving, they can upgrade to a Basic Driver’s License with no GDL restrictions.
You may wonder: Has this GDL program worked? The short answer is yes.
After New Jersey implemented its GDL system, police-reported crashes among teen drivers fell by 16%, injury crashes by 14%, and fatal crashes for 17-year-old drivers by 25%, relative to trends among adults. For 18-year-olds, crash rates dropped by roughly 10% for all crashes and about 4% for fatal crashes.
Also, crash rates tend to fall as a driver gains experience. In New Jersey, teens who had been driving for one year had crash rates 25 to 36% lower than during their first month of independent driving.
Contact a New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Accidents involving teen drivers are often catastrophic or even fatal. Having GDL programs in place are helpful, but sadly, accidents can still occur as teens often drive while distracted or intoxicated.
Crashes are stressful. A Morristown car accident attorney from The Law Offices of Michael P. Burakoff will take every legal step necessary to protect injury victims’ rights, obtain compensation, and help their entire family recover. Schedule a consultation today by calling (973) 455-1567 or filling out the online form.
Source:
cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/jackson-nj-crash-accident-today/
