Summertime Means Increased Risk For Teen Drivers



With summer now here, parents and teens should be aware that five of the 10 most dangerous days for teenage drivers fall between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Why the increased danger? With school out, teens are on the road more. On average, 422 teens die in traffic crashes each month during the summer, a 16 percent increase from non-summer months. July 4th, for reasons unknown, is the single deadliest day of the year, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA FTS).

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While summer means more hours of daylight, teens still manage to get into trouble after dark. Once the sun sets, the death rate doubles.

There are several reasons for this. Teenagers, who have the least driving experience, often find night driving exceptionally difficult. The combination of reduced visibility, nighttime glare and fatigue play a major part in their heightened crash rate. Teens are also more likely to experiment with drugs or alcohol at night, adding further risk.

It's not just late-night driving that's dangerous. Crash rates climb markedly after 9 p.m. Drivers under the age of 18 in Connecticut are generally prohibited from driving between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., but parents should consider a 9 p.m. curfew to stay on the cautious side.

The AAA FTS notes that a teenager driving other teens rapidly escalates the chance of getting into a crash. In its "Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers," study that was just published, the AAA FTS concludes that, "Compared with having no passengers, having one passenger younger than age 21 (and no older passengers) was associated with a 44 percent increase in a 16 - or 17-year-old driver's risk-per-mile driven of being killed in a crash." Two passengers younger than 21 doubled this risk, while three or more passengers roughly quadrupled it.

Here are some steps parents can take to keep their teenagers safe:

Limit teen driving. The more driving, the greater the risk.

Allow teens to use a family vehicle so they won't need their own car. A survey of Connecticut teen drivers, reported in a National Institutes of Health author manuscript, states that, "Teens with their own vehicles drove about two-thirds more than teens who shared family vehicles." Again, more driving equals more risk.

Give full support to the Connecticut graduated licensing provisions that limit passengers. This law means that no 16-year-old should be driving with any passenger other than an adult or immediate family member.

Discourage trips that have no particular destination in mind. Driving to get to a specific event is one thing. "Cruising," as it was once called, is another matter entirely that is far riskier.

Establish the ground rules, in writing. This parent-teen contract should specifically state the responsibilities of the parent and the teen, as well as the consequences for breaking any of the rules.

Finally, while Connecticut removes the teenage driving provisions of graduated licensing for 18-year-olds, the risk for younger drivers actually continues into their mid-20s. There's a reason insurance premiums don't begin to decline until the age of 25.

