Ask the average Tennessee parents how they feel about their teenagers driving, and most of them will tell you they’re nervous. (A few might ask for a paper bag.) Most parents, however, worry about outside forces as opposed to their own kids – bad weather, poor visibility, other teen drivers, and so on. But what seems like an annoyance to teens goes much deeper; not only do parents worry about their kids’ safety, but they know that they’re on the hook for damages if their child causes an accident.

So by now, we assume you want to know what any of this has to do with Wisconsin. Here’s the scoop: Wisconsin is changing the laws around liability insurance. If the proposed legislation goes through, parents of teens who cause car accidents will only be liable for up to $300,000. It’s all part of the plan to lower the caps on payouts in personal injury cases.

Before you sing “Hallelujah,” think of the consequences

If you’re thinking that you’d love lower premiums for your teen driver, we understand; it costs a lot to insure a young driver in Tennessee. But what happens if you’re on the other side of that scenario?

Say your child is driving the car, and an irresponsible teen driver smashes into the driver’s side door. A crash like that could cause untold amounts of damage, including paralysis or the need to amputate a limb. There’s no way $300,000 will cover the lifetime of agony, therapy or medical care your child might need if he or she happened to be on the receiving end of that crash – but $300,000 is all you’ll get in Wisconsin, if legislators have their way.

It might seem a bit like “Chicken Little” to start worrying about a law from a state about 600 miles away, but as personal injury attorneys, we keep a close eye on liability cases around the country. We’ve found that what happens in one state can often start a trickle-down effect into others. As of 2011, Tennessee capped non-economic damages at $750,000 (and in rare cases, $1,000,000) for injury victims; it’s not so far-fetched to think that if the bill passes in Wisconsin, our own legislation might try the same thing.

We know it’s expensive, but getting the right insurance for your teen driver really is the best thing you can do to protect him/her (and yourself) in case of a terrible, tragic accident. Sign your kids up for defensive driving classes, and drill home the idea that being safe in the car is too important to ignore. Because while we love helping people get back on their feet, we’d rather you and your teen not get knocked down in the first place.