By Daniel Clayton posted in Car Accidents
For young drivers, May marks the beginning of the season of high danger. It’s prom and graduation time, when many teenaged drivers receive expanded driving privileges. It’s also near the start of summer vacation, when the stakes are extremely high for young drivers.
That’s why the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day has been dubbed by auto club AAA and Volvo as “The 100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers.
Seven of the 10 deadliest days of the year for teens fall between those holidays, according to AAA. July and August are the deadliest months for 16- and 17-year-old drivers, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
This year, the deadly season for young drivers rolls around at a time when there is growing research by the AAA Foundation and others that the young drivers who engage less frequently in risky driving behavior are those who spend the most time talking about driving with their parents. The research also shows that more needs to be done to encourage those talks on safety: Vehicle crashes are still the leading cause of death for young Americans.
This year, the deadly season for young drivers rolls around at a time when there is growing research by the AAA Foundation and others that the young drivers who engage less frequently in risky driving behavior are those who spend the most time talking about driving with their parents. The research also shows that more needs to be done to encourage those talks on safety: Vehicle crashes are still the leading cause of death for young Americans.
On an average day in the USA, more than 11 teens die in crashes. In 2010, the four deadliest months for teen crash deaths, in order, were August, July, May and June, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an insurance trade group. Many times these wrecks are the result of distracted driving, driver error or driver fatigue.
So this month lends urgency to that discussion – call it The Conversation – between parents and their young drivers. “Parents’ involvement and influence in the teen driving experience can literally mean the difference between life and death for their child,” says Susan Duchak, who leads The Allstate Foundation’s teen safe driving program.
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