Passenger injury may be avoided if siblings are driving

Research undertaken in America has added a degree of nuance to the theories that a passenger injury is more likely to happen to a young child travelling with a teenage driver than with an older one.

While this is to some degree true - a car accident that causes personal injury is still shown to be more likely to occur with the younger driver - this is not the end of the story, as far as this research shows. The data gathered shows that the relationship between the passenger and the driver is also important.

This is because it seems that young passengers involved in a road traffic accident are 40% more likely to survive if the teen driver is a sibling. The data is simply factual, and does not demonstrate why this should be, but common sense suggests that a sibling may be more likely to insist that a seatbelt is worn, or more likely to take care of a blood relative by driving more slowly.

This matches the law in some American states, in which restrictions on younger drivers on the amount of people they can carry may be waived if those people are family members. The Scientific Director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said that "Our goal was to determine whether allowing an exception for teenaged drivers to carry family members as passengers makes sense from an injury prevention standpoint, and not just as a matter of convenience."

The study involved car accident and injury data drawn from 16,233 children below the age of 16 who were riding with 15- to 19-year-old drivers in several states. The car crashes were reported between December 2000 and December 2005.

This data may well affect UK insurance premiums and personal injury claims in the future.

Making a passenger injury claim
If you have been involved in a car crash that was not your fault, you may be eligible to claim compensation for any costs, past and future, that arise as a result of your personal injury. If you contact YouClaim, we'll be able to help you decide if your case should qualify.

If you decide it does, we'll also be able to help you find the best no win, no fee solicitor to handle the case, and help you proceed to a successful claim as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Our entire personal injury panel is drawn from firms governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and all will work on your car crash claim on a completely free basis. Our winning fee will be charged to your opponent, and any damages won pass to you in their entirety under our 100% compensation guarantee.

Whatever your situation, we really are able to help you in your claim for compensation; contact us today to find out how. Our website lets you reach us by claim form and e-chat, or you can simply call our free UK hotline, 0800 10 757 95, and we'll work to get your passenger injury claim settled as soon as possible.