Getting a driver’s license is exciting for most teenagers.
For parents, it can be a little more complicated.
There’s pride in watching your child become more independent, but also the reality that eventually they’ll be making decisions behind the wheel without you sitting beside them.
Brian and Esther LaBovick know that feeling personally. They raised three children and went through the same driving lessons, reminders and nervous moments that come with handing a teenager the keys.
But they also brought something unusual to those conversations.
As personal injury attorneys and founders of LaBovick Law Group, Brian and Esther have spent decades representing people and families after serious crashes. The firm helps clients deal with the injuries, medical treatment, insurance issues and legal questions that can suddenly become part of life after an accident.
They have seen what can happen when one decision on the road goes wrong.
That experience made them want LaBovick Law Group to be involved earlier, before a family ever needs a personal injury attorney.
It’s one of the reasons Brian and Esther created Safety 4 Life, with LaBovick Law Group providing the support that makes this prevention work possible.
And through that work, the LaBovick team has had an opportunity personal injury attorneys don’t normally get: to hear directly from teenagers before an accident happens.
Some of what those teens say is worth hearing—especially if you’re a parent.
HEARING FROM TEEN DRIVERS
During one of the driver-safety programs made possible through LaBovick Law Group’s support of Safety 4 Life, a student talked about distracted driving and the responsibility teenagers face as the next generation of drivers.
The student also explained how seeing the consequences of a serious crash made something that can feel distant suddenly feel possible.
Your Teen Probably Knows the Rules
Don’t text.
Slow down.
Wear your seat belt.
Be careful.
Most teenagers have heard these reminders many times.
But Brian and Esther’s experience—both as parents and through LaBovick Law Group’s work with accident victims—has reinforced something important: knowing a rule and making the right decision in the moment aren’t always the same thing.
That’s where parents can go beyond another reminder.
Try asking:
What makes you most nervous when you’re driving?
Is there anything your friends do in the car that makes it harder to concentrate?
Have you ever been in a car with someone whose driving made you uncomfortable?
Then listen.
You may discover that the teenager who looks completely confident pulling out of the driveway is nervous about merging onto I-95.
Or that they have a friend who drives too fast but don’t know how to tell them to slow down.
Or that they understand perfectly well that texting while driving is dangerous but aren’t sure what to do when the person texting is the friend driving them home.
Those are the kinds of decisions that happen long before anyone calls a personal injury attorney.
WHAT ONE 15-YEAR-OLD TOOK AWAY
Another teenager who participated in a Safety 4 Life program supported by LaBovick Law Group was just 15 and beginning the process of getting a learner’s permit.
Afterward, the teen talked about realizing that a serious crash could actually happen to them. The experience even changed the way they thought about their mother’s safety when she was driving.
It’s a useful reminder for parents: teenagers can be excited about driving and nervous about it at the same time.
They don’t always tell us both.
For the LaBovick team, hearing those perspectives matters. Their personal injury attorneys usually meet people after a serious accident, when the consequences are already real. Through the driver-safety programs the firm supports, they have a chance to hear what young drivers are thinking before those decisions are made.
Give Them Something More Useful Than “Be Careful”
Parents can’t eliminate every risk their teenagers will face on the road.
But they can help them prepare for some of the situations that are likely to come up.
What happens if the friend driving them home starts texting?
What should they do if someone is driving recklessly?
Can they call you at midnight because they no longer feel safe getting into someone’s car?
Make the answer to that last question easy.
Call me. We’ll figure everything else out later.
Giving a teenager a plan before they need it can be much more useful than expecting them to solve a difficult situation for the first time while their friends are standing around them.
Why LaBovick Law Group Invests in These Conversations
Most people get to know a personal injury law firm after an accident.
That is an important part of what LaBovick Law Group does.
When someone is seriously injured, the LaBovick team helps clients and their families understand their legal options, deal with insurance issues and navigate the process that follows an accident.
After decades of doing that work, Brian and Esther also wanted their firm to use some of that experience before the accident.
That commitment led them to create Safety 4 Life, with LaBovick Law Group supporting the programs and community partnerships that make the prevention work possible.
Those programs allow the firm to work alongside schools, law enforcement, first responders, healthcare organizations and other community partners. They also give the LaBovick team a chance to hear directly from young drivers about what they’re thinking and experiencing as they begin to drive.
For a personal injury law firm accustomed to meeting families after something has gone wrong, there is real value in being part of the conversation earlier.
LaBovick’s Role Before a Crash — and After
Your teenager may not tell you every time driving makes them nervous.
They may not tell you that a friend makes them uncomfortable behind the wheel.
And they probably aren’t going to ask you for another lecture about distracted driving.
But they might answer if you ask.
Sometimes that’s where a better conversation starts.
For LaBovick Law Group, these conversations are closely connected to the work the firm has done for decades.
Brian, Esther and the LaBovick personal injury team know that even when families do everything they can to stay safe, accidents still happen. When they do, injured people can suddenly find themselves dealing with medical treatment, insurance companies, missed work and legal questions they never expected to face.
That’s where LaBovick Law Group’s experience as a personal injury law firm matters: helping injured people understand their rights, navigate what comes next and fight for them through the legal process.
And that same experience is what motivates the firm to invest in prevention through Safety 4 Life before an accident ever happens.
Preventing and Fighting for You.
Because every teen deserves to come home safe.
