Teen Driver Mistakes: San Antonio’s Youngest Crash Risks
Carabin Shaw has represented injured Texans for over 34 years. The firm has board-certified Lawyers certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and has zero disciplinary history with the State Bar of Texas. Call (800) 862-1260 for a free case review.
Every year, teen drivers in San Antonio are involved in hundreds of preventable crashes. The statistics are not abstract — they represent real families, real injuries, and real legal battles over who pays the cost. For families dealing with the aftermath of a crash caused by a young driver, knowing what the law allows and what evidence matters most can make the difference between a fair recovery and nothing at all.
Video Transcript
I’m Jamie Shaw with Carabin Shaw in San Antonio. How long do you actually have to file a car accident claim in Texas? Generally two years from the date of the crash. Miss that deadline and the court can throw your case out, no matter how strong it is. People think two years is plenty, so they wait. But evidence disappears, witnesses forget, and the insurance company uses that delay against you. And watch out — claims against a government vehicle can have deadlines as short as six months. Don’t guess. If you’ve been hurt in a San Antonio crash, call Carabin Shaw. Free consultation and you pay nothing unless we win. 210-222-2288.
Why Teen Drivers Cause More Crashes in San Antonio
The Texas Department of Transportation reported that drivers between 16 and 20 years old accounted for a disproportionate share of crash fatalities statewide in recent years. In Bexar County, the numbers follow the same pattern. When a family is hurt by a teen driver, the San Antonio car accident attorneys at Carabin Shaw investigate every factor — the driver’s experience level, whether a supervising adult was present, and whether the vehicle was properly maintained — because liability in teen driver crashes often extends beyond the teen behind the wheel.
Inexperience Behind the Wheel
New drivers lack the pattern recognition that experienced drivers develop over years of road time. They misjudge gaps in traffic, fail to anticipate how other drivers will behave, and react more slowly to sudden changes in road conditions. Texas requires 30 hours of supervised driving before a minor can apply for a license, but 30 hours is not enough to prepare a teenager for every scenario San Antonio’s highways and intersections present.
Distraction Is the Leading Factor
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) consistently identifies distraction as the top contributing factor in crashes involving drivers under 20. Texting while driving is illegal in Texas, but enforcement is inconsistent. In a crash investigation, phone records can be subpoenaed to establish whether a teen driver was using a device at the time of impact. That evidence can be decisive in a liability case.
Nighttime and Weekend Crashes: When Teen Risk Peaks
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) data shows that teen crash rates spike significantly between 9 p.m. and midnight, and again on weekend afternoons. Texas’s graduated driver licensing law restricts drivers under 18 from driving between midnight and 5 a.m. during the first year of licensure. When a teen driver violates those restrictions and causes a crash, that violation becomes direct evidence of negligence.
Passenger Distraction
Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that the presence of one teenage passenger doubles a teen driver’s crash risk. Two or more passengers increases it by four times. When a group of teenagers is involved in a crash, who was distracting the driver becomes a central issue in the liability analysis.
Parental Liability in Teen Driver Crashes
Texas law holds parents and guardians liable for the negligent acts of a minor driver when the parent signed the minor’s license application. This is the Texas Family Code’s liability provision for signing a minor’s application. Beyond that, the family car doctrine can extend liability to any vehicle owner who permits a minor to drive their vehicle. If a parent knew their teenager had a history of reckless driving and allowed them to drive anyway, that knowledge becomes a factor in the damages calculation.
When the Teen Is an Employee
Some teen drivers are on the road for work — delivering food, running errands for a small business, or driving for a family-owned company. When a teen causes a crash while performing a work task, the employer may share liability under the doctrine of respondeat superior. These cases require a thorough investigation of the teen’s employment status and the nature of the trip at the time of the crash.
What Families Should Do After a Crash Involving a Teen Driver
The steps taken in the hours and days after a crash determine what evidence is available to build a case. Photographs of the scene, witness contact information, and the responding officer’s crash report are the foundation. Phone records should be preserved through a formal legal hold request before they are deleted. Medical records documenting every injury — including those that appear minor at first — need to be complete and consistent from the first treatment forward.
Do Not Accept a Fast Settlement
Insurance companies representing teen drivers and their parents move quickly to offer settlements before the full extent of injuries is known. A traumatic brain injury, spinal damage, or internal injury may not be fully diagnosed in the first 48 hours after a crash. Accepting a settlement before a complete medical picture is established closes the claim permanently. The full value of a case — medical costs, lost wages, future treatment, and pain and suffering — can only be calculated after a thorough medical evaluation is complete.
Bexar County Teen Crash Trends
According to TxDOT’s Crash Records Information System, Bexar County consistently ranks among the highest in the state for total crash volume. Teen driver crashes in the county cluster around school dismissal times, weekend evenings, and summer months when supervision is reduced. The Loop 410 corridor, US-281, and the intersection-heavy streets of the South Side see elevated teen driver crash rates based on reported incident data.
Families injured in these crashes face medical bills, lost income, and long recoveries. Carabin Shaw has handled thousands of car accident cases across San Antonio and Bexar County over three decades. The firm takes cases on a contingency basis — no fee unless the case is won. Call (800) 862-1260 to speak with an attorney about what happened.