Broward County Teens Killed in Naples Car Accident on I-95 Ramp
Florida Highway Patrol reports that two Broward County, Florida, teenagers were killed while en route to Tampa to pick up some friends. On the evening of April 8, Jessi McNab (Coral Springs) and James Moffat (Parkland), both age 17, were in an older-model Mercury owned by McNab when the car crashed into a fence and overturned on a northbound ramp to interstate 95 in Naples. It was unclear who was driving in this fatal South Florida I-95 car crash.
Both teens were airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers and died of their injuries. Neither were wearing seat belts. Moffat and McNab had both been cited in prior traffic incidents -- Moffat in an accident without injuries in Oakland Park in March and McNab for failure to obey a traffic sign in Coral Springs in February. The fatal accident remains under investigation by Florida Highway Patrol.
Teen Drivers and Traffic Fatalities
Broward County car accident lawyers are all-too aware of the risks and dangers associated with South Florida teens and driving. The AAA recently released a report on the hazards of teen driving. According to the report,
- Drivers ages 15 to 17 were involved in car crashes that caused the deaths of 28,138 people in the United States between 1998 and 2007.
- In fatal car crashes over the 10-year study period, 37 percent of fatalities were the teenaged drivers themselves -- with 10,388 teenage drivers losing their lives in traffic accidents.
- For every teen driver killed in a car crash -- nearly two other people are killed as well. Two-thirds of people killed in fatal teen-driving accidents are passengers of the teen drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and other people on the road.
Teens are full of youthful energy and don't have the sense of judgment on the road that adults develop over time. This combination of fearlessness and lack of driving experience can turn deadly behind the wheel -- particularly if there are multiple teens in the car and too many distractions. The Florida Sheriff's Association Teen Driver Challenge training program is a course that helps teens learn the rules of the road and how to drive safely.
Friends, families mourn two Broward County teens killed in crash in Naples
SunSentinel.com April 11, 2009
AAA Report: Teen Crashes -- Everyone Is at Risk
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles:
Teen Driving Safety Tips
Related Web Resources
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
