100 Deadlist Days for Teen Drivers

Ah, summer! Temperatures rise, schools let out for the season, and motorists hit the highways for vacation road trips. Students might view it as the optimum time to fulfill their driver training requirements. And teen drivers look to exercise their freedom and newfound driving privileges by taking to the streets. But the extra traffic and inexperienced drivers can prove tragic.

A recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that there are an average of 10 fatalities due to injuries from a crash involving a teen driver every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year. Worse still, the study notes that 60% of teen crashes involve driver distraction—and were, therefore, likely to have been easily preventable!

Make sure that you're reinforcing the following points to your students:

• All vehicle occupants should always wear their safety belt. It's required by law in most places. But even in jurisdictions where the seat belt laws are a little more lax, it's still a good great idea! Safety belts are quick and easy to use, and they are the single most effective way to save lives and reduce the severity of injuries in motor vehicle crashes. Statistically, wearing safety belts doubles the chances of surviving a crash and more than doubles the chances of avoiding serious injury.
• Don't be tempted by distractions. A study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that drivers who text message while driving are 23 times more likely to get into a collision or a near-collision than undistracted drivers. And research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that even hands-free technology is anything but risk-free. Furthermore, many states now prohibit any mobile device use by young drivers. Of course, those are just the tech-related distractions; there are plenty of other things to divert drivers' awareness. Some activities require our full attention—and driving is one of those activities.
• Keep your speed under control. Driving at speeds in excess of posted limits accounts for most traffic citations. And, aside from driving while impaired by alcohol or other drugs, about the most reckless thing a driver can do is drive too fast for the existing conditions. Speeding nearly triples the likelihood that a driver will be involved in a crash or near-crash. It reduces a driver's ability to steer safely around curves or obstructions in the roadway, extends stopping distances, and increases the distance traveled while the driver reacts to a dangerous situation. Worse yet, when speeding is a contributing factor in a collision, the bodily harm and property damage is frequently more extreme than average. Always obey all posted speed limits and be mindful of the Basic Speed Law, which states that a vehicle may never be driven faster than is safe for the prevailing conditions.
• Don't be reckless behind the wheel. When you're out of control, you're…well, out of control. And it's always good to be in control when you're behind the wheel. Whether you're trying to show off for your friends or just enjoy the "rush" of driving at the edge of your vehicle's performance envelope, driving recklessly is extremely dangerous!
• Never drink (or use other drugs) and drive. Perhaps the most dangerous—and most irresponsible—thing you could ever do as a motorist is to drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Roughly 10,000 lives are lost in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes each year in the United States—about a third of all traffic fatalities annually. Moreover, it's against the law for teens to consume alcohol, whether they're driving or not. Most states have some sort of Zero Tolerance law, and these regulations are strictly enforced. Unless you want your driver license to be short-lived, stay sober and safe behind the wheel!

By following these simple tips, we can help to prevent senseless crash-related deaths during the 100 Deadliest Days, as well as the rest of the year!