Driver Impairment - Inexperience

While being able to drive can be an exciting experience for newly licensed drivers, they often lack the skills and confidence that generally come with years of driving, and their inexperience can result in accidents. Inexperience is not an excuse for not upholding the duty imposed on all New Hampshire drivers to drive safely, and inexperienced drivers should be held accountable for any damages that they cause. If you were injured in an accident with an inexperienced driver, you should seek the counsel of a knowledgeable New Hampshire car accident lawyer to discuss your options for seeking compensation for any losses that you sustained. The skilled attorneys at Peter Thompson and Associates have more than 60 years of combined experience helping injured people in their pursuit of compensation.

Under New Hampshire law, a person can obtain a youth operator license when he or she is 16 years old. Newly licensed drivers are often unfamiliar with the roads and highways that they must navigate, and their lack of awareness of roadway conditions can lead to nervousness and errors in judgment, which unfortunately can cause accidents. Additionally, new drivers may take time to fully understand how to handle certain situations that all drivers eventually face, such as driving in inclement weather or in high traffic situations, and they may hesitate to take appropriate actions under the circumstances, placing other drivers at risk of harm. Inexperienced drivers are often easily distracted as well. As more seasoned drivers know, a driver must remain attentive at all times, since even a moment’s lapse in attention can result in an accident.

When a person obtains a New Hampshire driver’s license, the law automatically imposes a duty on that person to operate a car in a reasonable and safe manner at all times. Drivers who cause accidents due to their inexperience cannot escape liability due to the fact that they lack experience in driving. Instead, any driver who negligently causes an accident should be held responsible for any injuries or property damage that he or she causes.

To prove that an inexperienced driver’s negligence caused an accident, your attorney must illustrate that he or she owed you a duty, which is generally the duty to drive safely, that he or she breached the duty owed, and that the breach caused the accident to occur. While you do not need to prove that the breach was the sole cause of the accident, you must show that the accident would not have occurred without the breach and that the breach was a substantial factor in causing the accident. Finally, you must show that the accident caused you to suffer damages. If you were injured in a car accident, you only have one chance to recover compensation for your harm. Therefore, it is important to retain an experienced car accident attorney to represent you in your pursuit of your claim.

It is common for a car accident to result in both property damage and injuries. People who incurred harm in a car accident often seek to recover the cost to repair the damaged property and the cost of any medical treatment. If a person could not work following an accident, he or she may seek lost wages. In addition to quantifiable costs, injured parties often seek compensation for any pain and suffering caused by their injuries. If you suffered harm due to a car accident, it is importantly to act promptly, since any lawsuit to recover compensation due to an accident must be filed within three years of the date of the accident.

All drivers should be held liable for any injuries caused by their negligence, regardless of their age or experience level. If you were injured in a car accident caused by an inexperienced driver, it is in your best interest to consult a knowledgeable New Hampshire attorney to discuss whether you may be able to recover compensation. The attorneys at Peter Thompson and Associates can aggressively advocate on your behalf to help you pursue compensation for any harm that you sustained. We maintain a high success rate of helping injured parties recover damages and take pride in our record of favorable verdicts. We have offices in Bedford, Nashua, Portsmouth, and Manchester, New Hampshire. Contact us at 800.804.2004 or via our online form to set up a free consultation.