Buckle your seatbelts! The ‘100 Deadliest Days’ is underway.
To help parents keep their teen driver safe during the dangerous teen driving period beginning Memorial Day, AAA Northeast has launched a summer-long social media campaign through September 6.
Parents should check out the AAA Northeast Facebook page for daily tips, videos and other resources from traffic safety experts and driving instructors to learn how to become effective in-car coaches to their teen driver. Another newly launched resource is the www.AAA.com/DeadliestDays website.
Summer is usually the time when teen-related crashes spike because many young drivers have unstructured time behind the wheel. This year could be more dangerous for teen drivers since pandemic restrictions are relaxed and many 16- and 17-year-old drivers, like their older counterparts, are anxious to be out and about this summer, said Fran Mayko, AAA Northeast spokeswoman.
On the national level, more than 7,000 people died in crashes involving teen drivers between 2010 and 2019 between Memorial Day and Labor Day, said Mayko.
“Closer to home last year’s statistics were quite troubling,” she added. In 2020, a year when less drivers were on the road, there were 9 fatal crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers in Connecticut, the highest number since 2010, according to the UCONN Crash Data Repository.
“We can encourage teens to stay focused when driving; we can urge them to buckle up for every ride and drive within posted speed limits,” said Mayko. “But actions speak louder than words, so parents are urged to model good behavior behind the wheel. Your teen won’t take your advice seriously if you don’t follow it yourself.”
Speeding, reckless driving, driving at night, and distractions are among the reasons why teen-related crashes rise during the summer.