School will soon be “out”, and that unfortunately means roadway risks are “in” for the summer for teenage drivers. The days between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the time period where crash fatalities involving a teen driver historically rise, making those summer days the 100 Deadliest Days of the year.
“Traffic crashes remain one of the leading causes of death for U.S teens between the ages of 16 and 19,” says Rylie Fletcher, Manager for Public and Government Affairs for AAA Oklahoma. “Teens often have a lot of unstructured time in the summer, but don’t have the experience and skills of older drivers. Those factors can often lead to deadly consequences on the road.”
Nationwide, 6,697 people died in teen driver-related summertime crashes between 2013 and 2022. That is nearly half of the total number of those killed in teen-driver crashes for the entire rest of the year. And in 2022 alone, 707 people were killed in these types of crashes – a 10% increase over pre-pandemic 2019.
In Oklahoma, 175 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers ages 15 to 18 during the 100 Deadliest Days from 2013 to 2022*, representing 33% of all vehicle crash fatalities during that 10-year period.
AAA Oklahoma is encouraging teen drivers to double down on staying focused when driving, buckling up for every ride and driving within posted speed limits. Parents should also talk to their teens specifically about the dangers of impaired driving.
In 2022, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- 22 percent of 15 to 18 year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking
- 50 percent of teen drivers who died were unbuckled
- 30 percent of all motor vehicle deaths involving a teen driver were speed-related
According to the AAA Foundation 2021 Traffic Safety Culture Index, teen drivers ages 16-18 admitted to having engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors in the past 30 days:
- Driving 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street (39%)
- Driving 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway (34%)
- Texting (28%)
- Red-light running (27%)
- Aggressive driving (25%)
- Drowsy driving (16%)
- Driving without a seatbelt (12%)
- Drinking enough alcohol to be over the adult legal limit (4%)
- Riding in a car driven by someone who has had too much alcohol (8%)
- Driving within an hour of having used marijuana (6%)
“Parents remain the best line of defense to keep everyone safe behind the wheel,” says Michael Belcuore, Manager for Driver Education for AAA Club Alliance. “It’s never too soon for parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of distracted driving, speeding, and alcohol and marijuana impairment. But, and this is an important but, they also need to model good driving behavior themselves.”
- Talk with teens early and often about abstaining from dangerous behavior behind the wheel, such as speeding, impairment and distracted driving.
- Teach by example and eliminate their own risky behavior when driving.
- Establish a parent-teen driving agreement that sets family rules for teen drivers.
- Conduct at least 60 hours of supervised practice driving with their teen, including 10 hours of night driving.
- When evaluating a driving school for your teen, make sure the curriculum is up to date and includes topics like: advanced vehicle technology, the effects of cannabis on driving abilities, changes to Move Over laws, and sharing the road with vulnerable road users. Parents may also want to find a school that hosts parent specific sessions to help guide them through the process.
To support parents in conducting practice driving sessions, AAA provides a free four-page guide to help parents coach their teens on how to drive safely, “Coaching Your New Driver – An In-Car Guide for Parents.” The guide offers a driving log as well as behind-the-wheel lesson plans.
The AAA Teen Driver Website has a variety of tools to help prepare parents and teens for the dangerous summer driving season. The online AAA StartSmart Parent Session also offers excellent resources for parents on how to become effective in-car coaches as well as advice on how to manage their teen’s overall driving privileges.
*Data from Fatality Analysis Reporting System (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Analysis by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
