• 11
  • July
    2011

Many teenagers look forward to the summer as a long-awaited break from school and as a time when they can be more independent and enjoy more freedom to do as they please. However, that freedom may come at a price; summertime also means that more teens are behind the wheel, many with minimal driving experience.

Parents should encourage teens' independence, but should also be aware that youth traffic fatalities are more common during the summer months. Between 2005 and 2009, more than 7,300 young drivers died in motor vehicle accidents during the summer.

"[Teenagers are] going to be taking on that carefree attitude of summer and that becomes the recipe for higher crash risk," explains Dave Carlson of Triple AAA Idaho. "There will be about 60 additional fatalities in the United States per month in the summer months."

AAA calculated that an average of 442 teenaged drivers are killed in motor vehicle crashes every month during the summer, compared with an average of 363 teen traffic deaths during the non-summer months.

Preventing Teen Accidents

In Idaho, drivers between ages 15 and 19 were almost three times as likely as all other drivers to be involved in a motor vehicle crash in 2010.

To keep kids safe on the road, parents are encouraged to set limits and expectations for their young drivers. For example, parents should discourage teenagers with little driving experience from driving with their vehicles packed with passengers - it is distracting and dangerous.

Parents should also talk with their teens about the realities of drunk driving and distracted driving. Young people are more likely to use their cell phones while driving and parents should explain just how deadly this habit can be.

Parents should set a good example by wearing safety belts and requiring teens to wear safety belts at all times. In Idaho, only half of the teens killed in traffic crashes during 2010 were wearing safety belts.

Communicating with your kids about safe driving habits is important, especially during this time of year. "Parents should not underestimate the critical role they play in keeping their teens safe, especially during these high-risk months," said Brad Roeber, president of AAA's Chicago chapter.

Source: School's Out Means More Deadly Teen Crashes