For teen drivers, the deadly days of summer are here.
During summer months, motorists and families take to the road for summer vacations. Increased travel increases the risk of a serious automobile accident. For teen drivers, the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the deadliest days of the year.
Any time of the year, automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. When school is out for the summer, teen fatality rates rise for reasons that might include:
- More time spent driving for fun instead of to and from school
- Increased leisure time
- Friends or more passengers in the car
- Driving later at night
- Exceeding the speed limit in good weather
For teen drivers, the likelihood of a serious accident increases with a friend or other teens on board. According to a recent study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teen drivers were six times more likely to have a serious driving incident when there was loud conversation in the car. Horseplay in the vehicle increased the risk of distracted driving by three times.
Too often summertime headlines speak of tragedies involving multiple teens dead in a late night crash. During the deadly days of summer, steer clear of cars packed with teens. With your own teen driver, enforce rules that include:
- Curfews at 10:00 p.m.
- No cell phones in the car
- Limit or prohibit teen passengers
- Wear seatbelts
- Never drink, drug and drive
Wherever you live in North Carolina, if you suffer injury or loss in an automobile accident this summer, talk to an experienced personal injury attorney.