(WTAJ) — Today marks the first day of the national Click-It-Or-Ticket seat belt safety campaign, but AAA is warning parents and students about the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Teen car crashes rise so drastically in these summer months that AAA calls them the “100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers.
According to research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the average number of deadly teen crashes climbs 15 percent, compared to the rest of the year.
Parents are encouraged to talk with their teen drives about the following important issues, to ensure they have a fun and safe summer.
- Buckle Up
– A single click of a seat belt can be so important. Statistics how teens use seat belts the least, but that they are still proven to be the No. 1 device that saves lives in crashes.
- Limit the number of Passengers you drive with
– For teens, their passengers can be just as distracting as their phones. Most graduated licensing laws already set laws, but drivers are encouraged to know their state laws or have their own rules. Reducing the number of people teens drive with is one way to reduce deadly teen crashes.
- Don’t drive drowsy
– According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driving while tired causes more than 40,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths each year. Drowsiness should be treated the same as being impaired. If drivers are tired, they should call for a ride instead of driving themselves.
- Don’t drive impaired
– This is an important conversation for parents to have with their teens. They should never drive if they are impaired, and they should not ride with someone who is impaired. Teens need to speak up, take the keys, and find another safe way to get home.
- Avoid distractions
– Anything that takes a driver’s attention away from the road is a distraction. They should take care of what they need to do either before the trip or after it.
- Reduce driving at night
– Teen drivers are more likely to be involved in a deadly crash when driving at night as opposed to driving during the day. Parents are encouraged to set curfews for their teens and know when and where they are driving. Parents should also give teens opportunities to drive at night.
- Watch out for construction zones
– Summertime is popular for road work and construction and can be dangerous for workers and drivers. Parents should remind their teens that in most states, fines double in construction areas and that they should move over if they can safely do so, slow down and be alert when driving in construction zones.
- Know the roads
– Parents are encouraged to teach their teens how to get where they need to go and know the roads. When drivers get lost, they tend to get distracted by trying to identify landmarks and road signs and pay less attention to driving.
