Teen driver-involved crashes kill 10 people a day
Editorial by AAA of Western and Central New York
This week marks the halfway point of the "100 Deadliest Days," the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when teen driver-involved crashes rise 14 percent compared to the rest of the year. More than 1,050 people were killed in crashes involving a teen driver in 2016 during the "100 Deadliest Days." That is an average of 10 people per day - a 14 percent increase compared to the rest of the year, according to data analyzed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
"We want to remind teen drivers and parents that we're still in the most dangerous days of summer," said Elizabeth Carey, director of public relations at AAA Western and Central New York. "The number of fatal crashes involving teen drivers during the summer is an important traffic safety concern, and research shows that young drivers are at greater risk and have higher crash rates compared to older and more experienced drivers."
AAA stresses the importance of preparing and educating inexperienced teen drivers for some of the most dangerous driving days of the year. Speed and nighttime driving are significant factors contributing toward the number of crashes, and subsequently fatalities, involving teen drivers during the "100 Deadliest Days" (statistics based on 2016 NHTSA FARS data as analyzed by the AAA Foundation):
Nighttime Driving
- 36 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities involving teen drivers occurred between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
- There is a 22 percent increase in the average number of nighttime crashes per day involving teen drivers during the "100 Deadliest Days" compared to the rest of the year.
Speeding
- 1 in 10 of all motor vehicle speed-related fatalities involved a teen driver.
- 29 percent of all motor vehicle deaths involving a teen driver were speed-related.
AAA encourages parents to educate their teens and themselves about risky driving behavior. Parents should:
- Discuss with teens early and often the dangers of risky driving situations, such as speeding and nighttime driving.
- Teach by example and minimize your own risky behavior when behind the wheel.
- Make a parent-teen driving agreement that sets family rules for teen drivers.
TeenDriving.AAA.com has a variety of tools to help prepare parents and teens for the dangerous summer driving season and the whole year. AAA's
StartSmart program also offers great resources for parents.
As upstate New York's largest member services organization, AAA provides more than 870,000 members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1900, AAA has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. Visit AAA at
www.AAA.com.
