Are Parents Responsible for Children’s Reckless Driving?

 We’ve all seen those “student driver” cars around town, manned by a teenager who’s white knuckles are desperately clinging to the steering wheel. Many parents fear the day their child gets their driver’s license, along with every other driver on the road. The back to school days are here, and high-schoolers everywhere will be piling into their friend’s
 
Teenagers who begin driving have a lot of new responsibilities on their shoulders. The old doctrine of “vicarious liability” which holds parents responsible for their child’s car accident is no longer adhered to the same way today. Parents may still be held liable, but so can their kids.
 

To start, the child can directly be charged for their own careless driving. If the parents had prior knowledge of their child’s reckless behavior which caused the accident, then they can be held liable, too. For example, if you know your teenager has a bad habit of texting while driving and you don’t do anything about it, you could be on the hook. Or, maybe your teenager has a substance abuse problem, and they kill someone while driving under the influence. It could all end very badly for the teen and parents alike.
 
Parents can also be charged if they live in a state with the “family purpose doctrine.” This doctrine holds that the owner of the vehicle can be held responsible for the accident when used for a family purpose, even if they weren’t driving. So, if a teen driver gets in an accident on her way to pick up donuts for the family, her parents may be held liable for the crash.
 
In Pennsylvania, a teenager was on her way to pick up a breakfast sandwich for her dad when she rolled his suburban, killing 3 teenage boys inside. Her father was charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment, amongst others. Tragedies such as this can be prevented, and discussing the seriousness of operating a moving weapon with your child is imperative.