School is out for the summer, meaning more teenagers will be behind the wheel, but data from the American Automobile Association shows there is a 14 percent increase of teen-drivers involved in car crashes during the summer months, in comparison to the rest of the year.
Erin Martinez just graduated from Palm Springs High School and she has been driving for over a year.
Martinez said, “I guess the more that I have been driver, the more safe I feel and not as nervous,.”
She is still a pretty new driver, but Martinez has already encounter numerous reckless people on the road, she said, “Sometimes people get really angry for no reason, they will swerve into you and start yelling at you like it’s your fault.”
Teens are not always at fault during accidents, but data from AAA shows they are more often involved in accidents than adults with more experience behind the wheel.
Doug Shupe, a spokesperson with AAA said, “The 100 deadliest days is the time period between Memorial Day through Labor Day when teen when fatalities increase.”
He said about 10 people lose their lives daily from car crashes involving a teen-driver during the 100 deadliest days, with more of the crashes involving, “Speeding, nighttime driving and distracted driving”
He said they are all preventable causes, but they are still taking lives in large numbers. High speed makes-up 29 percent of car crashes involving teens, while there is a 22 percent increase of accidents at night-time.
Shupe said, “If we just do a little bit of talking with our teens and educating with them before the deadly summer days begin.”
But safe driving is not only for teens, adults can lead by example, too.
Martinez said, “I see a lot of adults doing it and it is not just texting, they are on the phone.”
To learn more about ways to keep your teen-driver safe, simply click here.
