Bill OBoyle: Heed summer's '100 deadliest days of the roadways'
Jun. 4—As the school year ends and summer vacation begins, we enter what AAA Mid-Atlantic calls "the "100 Deadliest Days of the Roadways" for teen drivers.
As school winds down, AAA says crashes involving teen drivers begin to accelerate.
According to AAA, in Pennsylvania, 255 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers ages 15 to 18 during the 100 Deadliest Days from 2012 to 2021, representing 37% of all vehicle crash fatalities (691) during that 10-year period.
AAA encourages teen drivers to double down on staying focused when driving, buckling up for every ride and driving within posted speed limits.
Parents should also talk to their teens specifically about the dangers of impaired driving.
Memorial Day marked the start of "100 Deadliest Days on the Roadways."
The unofficial start to summer has arrived — the season for backyard barbecues, road trips, ball games and basking in the sun.
But AAA reminds that the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is also a season of increased risk on the roadway.
More than 7,300 people died nationwide in crashes involving teen drivers from 2012 to 2021 during the 100 Deadliest Days, says AAA. That's nearly half of the number of those killed in teen-driver crashes for the entire remaining months out of the year.
In 2021 alone, 900 people were killed in teen-driver crashes — up from 851 the previous year ― a nearly 6% increase. The number killed in 2021 also represents a greater than 25% increase over prepandemic 2019.
Often, the victims are passengers, pedestrians or occupants of other vehicles, making the roadways more dangerous for all.
"There are more daily deaths from crashes involving teen drivers during the summer months than the rest of the year because teens tend to have more unstructured time behind the wheel, as they commute to summer jobs, enjoy summertime activities and spend time with friends," said Jana Tidwell, public affairs manager, AAA Mid-Atlantic. "Unfortunately, as more teens take to the road over the summer, the results can be deadly. AAA recommends that parents take time now to both model safe driving behaviors and help ensure their teens practice them as well."
According to the AAA Foundation 2021 Traffic Safety Culture Index, teen drivers ages 16-18 admitted to having engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors in the past 30 days:
—Driving 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street (39%)
—Driving 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway (34%)
—Texting (28%)
—Red-light running (27%)
—Aggressive driving (25%)
—Drowsy driving (16%)
—Driving without a seat belt (12%)
—Drinking enough alcohol to be over the adult legal limit (4%)
—Riding in a car driven by someone who has had too much alcohol (8%)
—Driving within an hour of having used marijuana (6%)
"While they sometimes may not think so, parents remain the best line of defense to keep everyone safe behind the wheel," said Tidwell. "It's never too soon for parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of distracted driving, speeding, and alcohol and marijuana impairment. But they also need to model good driving behavior themselves."
AAA encourages parents to talk to their teenage children about abstaining from dangerous behavior behind the wheel, such as speeding, impairment and distracted driving.
This time of year is the deadliest not just for teens, but for everyone on the roadways, including pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists. As summer arrives, AAA is reminding all road users, regardless of age, to be especially diligent about their safety as well as the safety of others.
"We know that fatal crashes involving teen drivers nearly double in summer months as compared to the rest of the year," said Tidwell.
According to preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 11,395 deaths on U.S. roadways in June, July and August of last year. More than half of those killed were someone other than the driver, including nearly 1,600 pedestrians and almost 2,200 motorcyclists.
"Teen drivers spend more time behind the wheel in summer months and they certainly have less experience than those who have been driving for years," Tidwell adds. "But tragedy can impact drivers of any age when good driving behaviors fall by the wayside."
All of these statistics are very real and all the warnings are needed to be made often.
The old saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
And an old proverb states, "It's easier to stop something from happening in the first place than to repair the damage after it has happened."
Listen to these wise words.
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Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
