August falls within the summer driving period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when many teens spend more time behind the wheel. AAA reports that 2,636 people died nationwide in crashes involving a teen driver during 2024, and 825 of those deaths occurred during the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
August also brings changing school, work, sports, and commuting schedules. Roads that felt predictable in July may become crowded with school buses, pedestrians, cyclists, student drivers, and parents entering pickup lines. You can reduce your teen’s risk by reviewing New Jersey licensing rules, practicing new routes, limiting distractions, setting passenger rules, and making sure your teen knows what to do after a crash.
AAA summer driving source:
https://newsroom.aaa.com/2026/05/aaa-urges-drivers-to-practice-100-days-of-safe-driving-this-summer/
Why August Requires Added Attention 
New Jersey’s Share the Keys resource guide states that more teen crashes occur in June than in any other month. August still requires added attention because it remains within the higher-risk summer driving period and often introduces back-to-school traffic before summer travel ends.
Your teen may be driving to a summer job, sports practice, a social event, or a new school campus. Evening trips, unfamiliar routes, fatigue, changing weather, and heavier traffic can create several risks during one drive. A new driver may also feel pressure to arrive on time, follow friends, answer a message, or make a sudden correction after missing a turn.
New Jersey teen driving resource:
https://www.nj.gov/mvc/pdf/license/STKResourceGuide2025.pdf
Why Teen Drivers Face Greater Risks
New drivers may know traffic laws but still lack the experience needed to recognize danger early. An experienced driver may notice brake lights several vehicles ahead, expect a car to enter an intersection, or slow down before traffic becomes congested. A teen may not recognize the same warning until the hazard has developed.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identifies distraction, speeding, nighttime driving, alcohol or drug impairment, fatigue, passengers, and limited driving experience as major concerns for teen drivers. Teen passengers can divide attention, even when no one is urging the driver to take risks. Phones, navigation screens, food, music controls, and conversations can also take a teen’s eyes or attention away from the road.
Common teen-driving mistakes include:
- Following too closely in stop-and-go traffic
• Braking late when vehicles ahead begin to slow
• Misjudging the speed of an approaching vehicle
• Failing to check blind spots before changing lanes
• Looking at a phone or navigation screen
• Driving too fast for traffic, weather, or road conditions
• Failing to yield to a pedestrian, cyclist, or school bus
• Driving while tired, upset, or distracted
A teen driver is not automatically responsible for a crash because of age. Fault depends on what each driver did, the traffic rules that applied, and the evidence available after the collision.
NHTSA teen-driving guidance:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-driving
Back-to-School Traffic Changes Familiar Roads
A road that seemed quiet in July may become crowded in August. Near schools in Jersey City, Montclair, and nearby New Jersey communities, your teen may encounter buses making frequent stops, children crossing side streets, vehicles entering pickup lines, and drivers searching for the correct entrance.
Traffic may also back up on nearby streets, parking lots, and intersections. A rushed driver may follow too closely, make an unsafe turn, or look at navigation instead of the road.
Practice school and activity routes before the first busy morning. A supervised drive can help your teen identify:
- School bus stops
• Marked and unmarked crosswalks
• Difficult turns and merging points
• Bike lanes and pedestrian-heavy areas
• Parking entrances and pickup lines
• Construction zones and lane closures
• Safe places to stop after a missed turn
One missed turn or late arrival is safer than one rushed driving decision.
Tell your teen to continue safely, pull over in a legal location, and reset navigation before changing direction.
New Jersey Graduated Driver License Rules Families Should Review
New Jersey’s Graduated Driver License program places restrictions on permit and probationary drivers under age 21 while they gain experience.
A permit or probationary driver subject to the GDL rules generally:
- May not drive between 11:01 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
• May not use a handheld or hands-free interactive wireless communication device while driving
• May carry only one additional passenger unless a parent or guardian is present or the passengers are the driver’s dependents
• Must display the required red decal on the front and rear license plates
• Must make sure every occupant wears a seat belt
• May face a $100 fine for violating a GDL restriction
A work or religious exception to the nighttime restriction may apply when the driver carries legible documentation on letterhead signed by the employer, organization, or religious institution that explains the reason for the exemption.
For qualifying permit holders under age 21 whose permits were issued on or after February 1, 2025, New Jersey requires at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours during darkness, before the driver can receive a probationary license. Treat those hours as a minimum. Practice should include city streets, highways, rain, darkness, construction, heavy traffic, and unfamiliar routes when conditions allow safe supervision.
New Jersey GDL rules:
https://www.nj.gov/mvc/about/gdlsafety.htm
New Jersey 50-hour practice requirement:
https://www.nj.gov/mvc/press/archives/2025/01312025.htm
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A Practical August Teen-Driving Safety Plan
Clear expectations work best when you discuss them before your teen starts the vehicle. Put the rules in writing and review them when schedules change.
Your family plan can include:
- No phone use while the vehicle is moving
• Seat belts for every occupant on every trip
• Passenger limits that follow New Jersey law
• No speeding to make up for lost time
• A curfew that accounts for GDL nighttime limits
• A safe ride-home option after a party, late shift, or activity
• A rule against driving while tired, ill, angry, or overwhelmed
• A plan for rain, construction, traffic, and unfamiliar routes
• Instructions to pull over safely when lost
• Immediate reporting of every crash, even when damage seems minor
Parents and guardians should model the same habits. A teen is less likely to follow a phone rule when adults text at red lights or handle a phone while driving.
What to Do After a Teen-Driver Crash
Your first priorities are safety and medical care. Call 911 when anyone may be injured, traffic is blocked, a vehicle cannot be moved safely, or the crash involves a pedestrian, cyclist, school bus, suspected impairment, or major property damage. Some injuries may not be clear at the scene.
When it is safe, your teen should:
- Move to a safer location when the vehicle can be moved and local conditions permit
• Photograph vehicle positions, damage, debris, traffic controls, road conditions, and visible injuries
• Exchange driver, vehicle, and insurance information
• Obtain witness names and contact information
• Record the responding agency and police report number
• Preserve dash-camera footage, phone records, messages, and location data
• Keep towing, repair, medical, prescription, and transportation records
• Avoid arguing, guessing about fault, or posting crash details online
• Notify the appropriate insurance company promptly
• Avoid signing a broad release before the injuries and losses are understood
New Jersey requires a written crash report within 10 days when a collision causes injury, death, or more than $500 in property damage to any one person, unless a law enforcement officer submits the required written report. Families should confirm whether the responding agency filed the report.
New Jersey crash-reporting form and instructions:
https://www.nj.gov/mvc/pdf/about/SR-1.pdf
For information about evidence, insurance, and the claims process, visit:
https://www.freemanhugheslaw.com/jersey-city-car-accident-attorney/
For broader personal injury information, visit:
https://www.freemanhugheslaw.com/jersey-city-personal-injury-lawyer/
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Liability and Insurance Can Become Complicated
A teen-driver collision may involve the conduct of several drivers, vehicle ownership, permission to use the vehicle, household insurance, passenger actions, and road or vehicle conditions. Relevant coverage may include personal injury protection, bodily injury liability, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, collision coverage, and health insurance.
An insurer may focus on the teen’s age, passengers, phone use, license status, or GDL restrictions. A fair investigation should also examine whether another driver was speeding, distracted, impaired, following too closely, making an unsafe turn, or failing to yield.
Evidence may include:
- Police crash reports
• Photographs and video
• Vehicle event data
• Dash-camera recordings
• Witness statements
• Medical records
• Repair estimates
• Phone and location records
• Traffic-signal or nearby business footage
A valid injury claim may seek payment for medical expenses, future care, lost income, reduced earning ability, pain, physical limitations, and property damage. The available recovery depends on fault, insurance coverage, medical proof, and the effect of the injuries. No attorney can promise a specific settlement or verdict.
New Jersey generally applies a two-year filing period to personal injury lawsuits. Different rules or exceptions may apply to a particular claim. A claim involving a public entity may require a Tort Claims Act notice within 90 days. These shorter notice rules can matter when a school vehicle, municipal road condition, or government agency may be involved. Evidence may also disappear long before a filing deadline expires.
New Jersey Courts filing-period information:
https://www.njcourts.gov/faq/what-statute-of-limitations-claim-my-case
How a New Jersey Car Accident Attorney Can Help
A car accident attorney can review the collision, preserve video and electronic evidence, identify available insurance, communicate with adjusters, document medical and financial losses, and evaluate claims involving each responsible party.
Legal review may be useful when:
- Injuries are serious or require ongoing care
• Fault is disputed
• A passenger was injured
• The teen is accused of violating a GDL restriction
• An insurer questions coverage
• A commercial or government vehicle was involved
• A dangerous road condition may have contributed
• Key video or electronic evidence may be erased
Learn about the firm’s legal services:
https://www.freemanhugheslaw.com/practice-areas/
Learn about attorney Brian C. Freeman:
https://www.freemanhugheslaw.com/new-jersey-attorney-brian-freeman/
Speak With a New Jersey Car Accident Attorney
A teen-driver crash can leave your family managing medical care, missed school, transportation problems, insurance calls, and concern about a young person’s future. Freeman Law Center, LLC offers initial consultations at no charge and serves clients from offices in Jersey City and Montclair, New Jersey, as well as nearby areas.
Call Freeman Law Center, LLC:
Call (201) 222-7765
Contact the firm online:
https://www.freemanhugheslaw.com/contact/
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Speak with an attorney about the facts and deadlines that may apply to your situation.