What You MUST Know to Stay Safe & Minimize the Risk of a Car Crash
The 100 Deadliest Days of Summer Now Underway
As schools across the nation wrap up another year and summer ramps up, transportation safety officials are warning all drivers to be ready to face another “100 Deadliest Days of Summer.” Coined by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer refers to the period from Memorial Day through Labor Day when:
- Young, inexperienced teen drivers are sharing the roads with other motorists for longer periods of time.
- The incidence of fatal traffic crashes surges (in comparison to other seasons of the year).
In fact, some of the latest research shows that, during the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer:
- Fatal car accidents involving teen drivers increase, on average, by about 15 percent.
- About 1,600 people are killed in wrecks that involve a teen motorist (averaging the fatalities recorded over the past five years, since 2012).
- The leading causes of deadly car crashes involving teens include:
- Impaired driving – Alcohol and/or drug use impair teen drivers’ perception, judgment and reaction times. Although every state in the U.S. has a Zero Tolerance policy when it comes to teen driver impairment, many teens still make the mistake of getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol and/or drugs.
- Distracted driving – About 60 percent of teen driver crashes involve distracted driving. While cellphones and texting are a major distraction for teen motorists, so too are having other teen passengers in the vehicle.
- Speeding – Close to 1 in every 3 deadly teen crashes involves speeding.
8 Essential Tips for Minimizing the Risk of a Summertime Car Accident
If you are a parent to a teen driver, here are some steps you can take to reduce the risk that your teen will be involved in a wreck:
- Talk to your teen about driving safety – Set aside some time to talk to your teen about safe versus unsafe actions behind the wheel. Emphasize the dangers of drunk driving and distracted driving. And stress the importance of wearing seatbelts whenever driving or riding in cars.
- Sign a “driving agreement” with your teen – Hold your teen accountable for driving safety. Hinge car (or other) privileges on compliance with this agreement.
- Set a good example – Demonstrate the actions you want your teen to take behind the wheel by being a good, safe driver yourself. Live the example you want your teen driver to follow.
- Keep your teen’s vehicle well maintained – Summer heat can increase the risk of tire blowouts (and other vehicle equipment failures); winter cold can freeze gas lines, wiper fluid, etc. So, make sure the vehicle your teen is driving is in good condition, regardless of the season.
- Consider investing in safety technology – If distraction or cellphone use is an issue, look into apps that can lock cellphones. You may even want to invest in crash avoidance technologies, like lane departure warning systems, blind spot detection systems and/or forward collision warning systems.
Regardless of whether you have a teen driver at home, if you will be sharing the roads with young, inexperienced motorists this summer (or beyond), here’s how to minimize your risk of a wreck:
- Always comply with traffic laws.
- Drive defensively.
- Never drive while impaired or distracted.
Get Answers about Your Recovery Options after a Crash: Contact a Middlesex County Car Accident Lawyer at Mayo Law, P.A
If you or someone you love has been hurt in any type of auto wreck, contact a Middlesex County car accident lawyer at Mayo Law, P.A. for more information about your options for financial recovery.
Call us at (732) 613-3100 or (888) MAYO-LAW. You can also email our firm via the contact form on our Home Page. Initial consultations are free, and we do not charge any legal fees until or unless compensation is secured in your case.
From offices based in Middlesex County, our attorneys provide the highest quality legal services to people through New Jersey, as well as nationwide.
