Did you know that Memorial Day marks the start of a period known as the 100 deadliest days for teens on the roads? Each year, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, thousands of teens are injured or killed in driving accidents.
Year round, car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. What makes summer especially dangerous is that teens are more likely driving with friends instead of alone to school and work. Teens also are more likely to stay out later when school isn’t in session and with good driving conditions, they may be more tempted to speed.
Here are some ways to keep your teenager safe this summer:
- Make seat belts mandatory. Even if they are required by state law, many teenagers don’t want to wear seat belts. Did you know that in fatal crashes involving teenagers and young adults, 60 percent were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash?
- Ban phone use while driving. We all know that texting while driving is dangerous. But even talking on the phone can make it more difficult to respond to challenging driving conditions.
- Limit driving at night. For teenagers, the risk of being in a deadly accident rises dramatically after the sun goes down. Night driving can be more challenging, for sure, but it’s also a time when teens are more likely to be driving to parties.
- Slow down. Teach your teenager to slow down around motorcycles, pedestrians and in bad weather.
- Limit who can drive with them. Studies have shown that the more teenage passengers in a vehicle with a teen driver, the greater the likelihood of an accident.