Another summer is upon us and now that so many are vaccinated, many of us are making plans for vacations and summer fun. We Save Lives would like to remind you that we are entering the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer”, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. According to the CDC, teen drivers between the ages of 16-19 are three times more likely than drivers 20 and older to be involved in a deadly crash. Everyone is COVID tired and looking forward to a better summer. You may be thinking that now is the time to relax and plan for summer fun but IT IS NOT the time to relax while driving, especially for your teens. Just look at some of the facts:
  • Motor Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens.
  • Teens have the highest crash rate of any age group.
  • An average 260 teens are killed in car crashes each month during the summer, an increase of 26% compared with the other months of the year.
  • 60% of teen crashes today are caused by distracted driving.
  • Surprisingly, the top distraction for teens is other passengers, accounting for 15% of teen driver crashes, compared to 12 % caused by texting or talking on a cell phone.
  • “Not only are teens themselves more likely to die in car crashes, they also have the highest rates of crash involvement resulting in the deaths of others, including passengers, pedestrians or occupants of other vehicles.” – Newsday

What does this mean for us as we watch our young people load up the car and drive off to their destination?