Many Unlicensed Drivers From 9th to 11th Grade Operating Vehicles On Pennsylvania Highways
I am sure no doubt many of you will agree that a motor vehicle in the hands of an untrained or licensed driver can often amount to a death machine on our highways. Car accidents involving unlicensed drivers or untrained teenagers places a high burden on our society and it is important for parents and others in a position of authority to guide and educate unlicensed teenage drivers who are at high risk for unsafe driving practices.
My son, who is in the 10th grade, returned from school a few weeks ago and had a conversation with me in a half joking fashion that one of his friend’s bragged to him that his father allowed him to take a car out for a spin even though he was under the legal age of driving and not trained behind the wheel of a car. When I pressed my son on the details, he said “Dad, I think it was only in a parking lot” and then backed down from providing more information. The conversation concerned and alarmed me due to the fact that as an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney since 1979, I have become all too familiar with catastrophic injuries and fatalities resulting from improperly trained and unlicensed drivers. Not that teenagers are the only unlicensed drivers. I recently reviewed a story published in the newspaper whereupon it noted that a 74 year old man who had not held a valid driver’s license since August 2001 struck three parked vehicles, including one that was occupied, as well as a Montour County Sheriff’s SUV and then took off in hit and run fashion. Not so surprisingly, lab results eventually revealed that the blood alcohol level of this 74 year old man was twice the legal limit of 0.8. We have also witnessed the situation where an immigrant to America, who was unlawfully in our country, never properly secured the license requirement for Pennsylvania or any other state where he was driving, and operates a vehicle on no license or his native country’s license and is not familiar with the rules of the road in America. One of my clients was recently injured by someone who fit this category and did not even show up for the hearing.
In Pennsylvania, driving without a license and being in an accident are normally two different offenses and would be dealt with separately. In Pennsylvania a person may not drive any motor vehicle upon a highway or public property without a valid driver’s license under the Pennsylvania motor vehicle code. The Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code, Chapter 15, explains that public property includes but is not limited to driveways and parking lots owned or leased by the Commonwealth or an agency thereof. Unfortunately, the penalties rendered upon someone driving without a valid license are quite minimal. In Pennsylvania, if driving without a valid license, you are guilty of a summary offense and upon conviction shall be sentenced to pay a minimal fine of $200. This experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney thinks that the law and penalties require more teeth in order to prevent further catastrophic injuries and death.
If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with an unlicensed or underage driver, please contact the experienced car accident lawyers at Reiff and Bily for a free consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
