The tragic result of a recent car accident in Columbia County that took the life a 17-year-old male who graduated from high school in late May puts a prominent spotlight on young drivers under the age of 18 in Georgia.
Law enforcement officials say that the accident -- in which a 16-year-old driver lost control of her vehicle and hit a tree -- highlights many of the irregularities that crash investigators often see in connection with teen-related accidents and readily points to the value of Georgia's graduated driver's license program and the stringent restrictions it places on teenage drivers.
"Kids are going to be kids," stated Kari Poss sadly, in the wake of the accident. Poss is the Columbia Country Juvenile Court Traffic Coordinator. She says she sees teen crash deaths all too often, and that they frequently involve bad driving decisions and illegal behavior.
"She was definitely breaking the law there," says Poss in pointing to a number of potential criminal charges facing the young driver in the fatal accident.
For starters, Georgia law mandates that, within six months of turning 16, a driver cannot have any passengers in a vehicle other than a family member 21 or older. The driver in the fatal crash had five passengers in her SUV, including the boy who died. All were teenagers, and two of them were not wearing seat belts.
Poss strives to find something of value to impart from the incident. She says that there is a lesson for teen drivers, and it is this: "Trying to get these kids to understand that driving is a privilege -- its' not a right. We can take it away any time, so don't abuse it."
Related Resource: ABC News, "Deadly Accident Serves as Tough Reminder of GA Teen Driving Laws" May 28, 2011
