AAA Study: Summer Signals Increase in Teen Crash Fatalities

Ahhh ... the start of summer. While this means flip-flops, lemonade and outdoor movies, it also unfortunately means sky-high teen driving fatalities. In 2013 alone, 371,645 people were injured and 2,927 were killed in crashes that involved a teen driver, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. While my own teenage daughter hasn't started driving yet, many of her friends have. They're ready to hit the open road, experience some additional independence and freedom this summer, and possibly make errors in judgment that could be deadly. The 100 Deadliest Days for teen drivers -- the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when teen crash fatalities rise dramatically -- have begun, and according to AAA, it's not just teens who need to be vigilant. In a study released today, AAA made some shocking discoveries, most notably that, "The majority of people killed (66 percent) and injured (67 percent) in crashes involving a teen driver are people other than the teen themselves." The organization analyzed data from police-reported crashes of drivers aged 15-19, from 1994-2013. Related: More Safety News According to the study, nearly 50 percent of those injured were in another vehicle; 17 percent were in the teen driver's car; and 2 percent were non-motorists (i.e., pedestrians, bicyclists). Nearly 30 percent of those killed were in another car; 27 percent were the teen's passenger; and 10 percent were non-motorists. So how can we curb these dangers this summer? First off, you can hope that your state has stringent graduated licensing laws that help teens ease into driving, as their brains, decision-making abilities and reaction times continue to mature. Some states, like South Dakota, could theoretically decrease the number of teen driving fatalities by a whopping 63 percent by improving their graduated licensing laws. Also, look into programs beyond simple classroom or online-based driver's education classes. Nonprofit programs like Driver's Edge are free for teens (and their parents) and "teach real life emergency avoidance and response techniques and overall driver safety" according to the program guide. Car manufacturers such as Ford and Toyota also offer similar programs that put teens behind the wheel to practice much needed emergency driving techniques. Remember that teens are still kids ... they're still our kids, which means this is a problem for all of us to solve. It's our responsibility as parents to help our teens find the resources to become good drivers. Consider implementing a safe driving contract similar to this one to ensure that you and your teen are on the same page regarding expectations. Your teens can't meet your expectations if you don't first lay them out in concrete (or at least on paper). 

source Cars.com News http://ift.tt/1FDKRsO