A new Arizona study reveals teen drivers are most at risk during summer months for fatal crashes.
Monday started the beginning of the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer, the time period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when teen crash fatalities climb.
The latest reports showed that 40 percent of people killed/50 percent of people injured in crashes involving a teen driver are others---people outside the teen’s vehicle.
While improvements in graduated driver license (GDL) laws and other factors (i.e. teens waiting longer to become licensed) have resulted in fewer fatalities among teens on the roadways in Arizona, car crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens.
In 2013, 220 teen drivers and passengers nationwide died in crashes nationwide during each of the summer months—43 percent higher than the rest of the year.
In Arizona, from 2007 to 2013, 277 teens were killed on Arizona roadways, according to Arizona Department of Transportation.
TIPS FOR PARENTS TO KEEP TEENS SAFE:
- 1. Contract negotiation. Written agreements help enforce clear rules about night driving, passengers, access to the car, and more. You can easily find online a “parent-teen driving agreement”;
- 2. Take advantage of training tools. Enhance your teen’s driving, critical thinking and decision-making skills with driver training. Organizations such as AAA offer programs which can discounts off your teen’s auto insurance upon completion; Teaching Your Teens to Drive , which helps guide parents who choose to teach their teens to drive themselves. Driver-ZED , which helps teens practice recognizing and avoiding road hazards.
DrivingMBA is excellent. It is the only driving school in Arizona that uses state-of-the-art driving simulators to test its students.
- 3. Permit Prep Challenge. Teens approaching driving age should consider attending AAA’s Permit Prep Challenge. This free 90-minute workshop prepares teens for their written permit test and educates families on what they need to know before their new driver takes the wheel.
Summertime is supposed to be a fun, carefree and relaxing time for the kids in their breaks from school. A little extra caution can keep it this way for your teen and for others.
Talk to your teen. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is worth even more than that when the result cannot be cured.
Be careful everyone.
