Healthychildren.org Weighs In on the most deadly days of Summer for Teens
By Maureen Rossi– The unofficial start of summer commenced on Memorial Day weekend with the grilling of dead animals over gas grills, some amazing weather and the honoring of this nation’s gallant veterans past and present. Unfortunately, Memorial Day weekend also begins what is known as the 100 deadliest days of summer for teens.
“Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for US teens, and the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the deadliest for drivers ages 15-20,” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Healthychildren.org says traffic safety experts attribute the higher crash rates for teens to having more free time under less parental supervision, more opportunities to drive at night when road risks are higher and parent curfews may be relaxed.
“Reasons for the greater amount of accidents are many and include drivers in this age group have lower rates of seat belt use and are more likely to transport multiple teen passengers which are factors that contribute to increased injury and crash risk,” explains Healthchildren.org.
They say that driver inexperience is the leading cause of crashes involving teen drivers. However, most surprisingly, crashes are not caused by teens who drive recklessly. “Driving inexperience, coupled with distractions, such as the presence of teen passengers and cell phone use, is a scenario that can greatly increase the risk of a deadly car crash,” says the non-profit.
Cell-phone use has added an enormous risk factor to teen drive year long – be it talking or texting, it’s known as distracted driving. It’s illegal. It’s deadly. What can parents or grandparents do? They can talk to the teens they love; they can have multiple dialogues that can begin long before keys and cards are handed over.
“A parent/teen driving agreement is a tool recommended for parents to help manage their teen’s driving and reduce crash risk,” says HealthyChildren.org.
That agreement can include amount of people in the car, curfews, geographical limits and penalties. In the age of technology, companies have gotten on board and there are a myriad of devices that can be installed in a teens car that can give parents a broad range of data through their cell phones or computers like if that child goes out of a geographical area or speeds. You can also enroll your teen in the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles Teen Electronic Event Notification System (TEENS).
Talk About the Law
The New York State Graduated Driver Licensing Law has been a most welcomed aid for NYS families and their teens. Talk to your kids, grand-kids and nieces and nephews about this critical law.
NYS Graduated Driver Licensing Law
The current NYS GDL Law has regional restrictions and includes the following components:
- Consists of a three-stage licensing system beginning at age 16 for learner’s permit, age 16 and six months for the intermediate stage, and age 18 for full licensure (age 17 for teens who complete driver education).
- Includes a mandatory holding period during the learner’s permit stage of up to 6 months.
- Requires a minimum of 50 hours of supervised practice driving during the learner’s permit stage, at least 15 hours of driving must be done at night.
- Prohibits unsupervised nighttime driving between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. during the intermediate stage.
- Requires every passenger riding in a car with a teen driver to be restrained.
- Prohibits transporting more than one passenger younger than age 21 unless a parent or guardian is in the vehicle.
- Prohibits the use of hand-held cell phones for drivers of all ages.
- Prohibits texting while driving for all drivers.
The hospitalization rates for 16-17 year-old drivers have decreased by 50% since the NYS GDL was instituted in 2003. In addition, night-time driving restrictions imposed under the NYS GDL reduced injury rates by 40% for 16 year-old drivers involved in crashes which occurred between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Smithtown Today cares about the teens that reside in Smithtown – we urge parents to become aware and to start talking and continuing the dialogue throughout the summer!