Teenage motorists lack the driving experience that other drivers often have, but they are also more likely to take unnecessary and dangerous risks behind the wheel. Your chance of involvement in a wreck with a teen driver increases during the summer, when more teens are out of school and more likely to be traveling Alabama’s roads.
Per AAA, the length of time between Memorial Day and Labor Day is especially hazardous, with fatalities from crashes involving teen drivers increasing by 17% during this span. Within the past five years, more than 3,500 people lost their lives during this period known as summer’s 100 Deadliest Days.
Contributors to fatal teen crashes
What dangerous driving behaviors are teenagers engaging in that endanger you and everyone on the road? Speed is a common contributor to fatal crashes involving teen drivers, playing a role in about 28% of them that take place during the 100 Deadliest Days. Alcohol abuse is another common contributor and is a factor in about 17% of these incidents.
Distracted driving
Statistics show that distracted driving, which may include anything from using a cellphone to communicating with other passengers in the vehicle, contributes to about 9% of fatal car wrecks within this period. However, many safety advocates believe this figure is too conservative, and that your chance of involvement in a fatal crash with a teenage distracted driver is much higher.
Because it may be difficult to determine whether a driver was driving distracted when he or she hits you, authorities sometimes fail to list distracted driving as a contributing factor. New research suggests that it may play a role in as many as 58% of fatal teen-involved wrecks. Find more information on our webpage.
