The deadliest days of summer are upon us in 2017
Once school’s out for summer, plenty of teens get behind the wheel and learn to drive or continue on their adventure learning what it means to hold a license. After Memorial Day, parents need to recognize and talk to their kids about the 100 deadly days of summer, the days where teens are most likely to be involved in accidents. These 100 deadly days, as reported by the American Automobile Association, are when around 1,000 people die in crashes involving teen drivers.
The ages of teens involved in these accidents range from 16 to 19 in most cases. During the school year, the chances of these teens getting into accidents is lower, since they’re in school and participating in activities. In the summer, that’s not necessarily the case, which means they have more time to get behind the wheel.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recognizes that distractions like eating behind the wheel, texting or talking on the phone contribute to up to 58.5 percent of all crashes that take place. Teens are more likely to get distracted behind the wheel or to make mistakes that put them and others in harm’s way.
Texting, a common act that teens perform behind the wheel, creates a 23-times greater risk of a crash than driving without distractions. That in itself is a good reason to talk to your children about the risks of doing anything other than paying attention to the road. That way, if they’re hit, they can be sure that they did everything they could to pay attention and avoid a collision. In a situation with an accident involving distractions, it’s possible to pursue compensation from the at-fault driver.
Source: USA Today, “AAA: 100 ‘deadliest days’ of summer: Teens on the road after Memorial Day,” Bart Jansen, accessed July 07, 2017