Summer months are high-risk for inexperienced teen drivers.
Officials from AAA are stressing the importance of preparing and educating this demographic on the nation’s roadways. Across the country and between 2011 and 2020, more than 7,000 people died in teen driving-related summertime crashes.
That’s more than seven people per day, during what is more darkly referred to as the “100 Deadliest Days” between the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.
Compared to the rest of the year, it’s just starkly more dangerous.
Theresa Podguski, AAA East Central director of legislative affairs, said the summer months are the riskiest because its a big mix of inexperienced drivers and more drivers on the road overall.
And according to previous research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, new teen drivers ages 16-17 are three times as likely as adults to be involved in a deadly crash.
Speed and nighttime driving are large factors contributing toward these crashes and fatalities. Per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
— 36% of all motor vehicle fatalities involving teen drivers occurred between 9 PM and 5 AM
— There’s a 22% increase in the average number of nighttime crashes per day involving teen drivers during this period
— And 29% of all motor vehicle deaths involving a teen driver were speed-related
Parent should educate their teens, and themselves, about risky driving behaviors.
These usually include:
— The dangers of risky driving situations, such as speeding and nighttime driving.
— And the dangers and consequences of distracted driving (texting, having multiple people in the car, etc.)
