7 days ago
Tips for protecting teen drivers during 100 deadliest days
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day typically sees a spike in deadly crashes involving younger drivers, according to the American Automobile Association, or AAA.
It's become known as the '100 deadliest days' for teen driving.
AAA reports teen drivers are nearly three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older to be killed in a crash. Daniel Armbruster, a spokesperson for AAA in Texas and New Mexico, said it's in part due to the inexperience of younger drivers.
'But also we know this increase that we see in summer time is because of the fact that kids are out of school. They have more freedom and less supervision, and so they tend to behave in a way that is more risky behind the wheel,' Armbruster said.
He highlighted speeding, impaired driving and distracted driving as some of the top factors contributing to crashes. According to AAA, 60% of all teen crashes involve a form of distraction, from smart phone use and texting to other passengers in the car.
'Talking, conversations can occur when you have several young people in a car, and the driver can become distracted,' Armbruster said, emphasizing the need for the state's graduated driver's licensing law. It restricts the number of people in the vehicle allowed with a teen driver to one person under the age of 21 that is not a family member.
AAA also offers 'Dare to Prepare' workshops for teens and their parents to raise awareness. The free, 75-minute interactive or in-person workshop highlights the roles and responsibilities of driving, how to pick a safe vehicle and what to look for in a good driving school.
Armbruster serves as an instructor for some of these workshops.
'A lot of times, teens come in, and you can see it on their face, right? 'Oh, a workshop my parent made me come to.' But they leave with a gratitude because they've received a lot of information that is helpful in not only saving their lives, but also the lives of everyone on the road,' he said.
Across the country, 13,135 people died in a crash involving a teen driver between 2019-2023, according to a AAA review of crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In Texas alone, 1,463 people died in teen crashes during that same period. Approximately 30% of those deaths occurred during the 100 Deadliest Days between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
AAA's review went on to show that, on average, eight people are killed per day in teen-involved driving crashes in the summer, compared to seven per day during the rest of the year.
In his experience with the Dare to Prepare workshops, Armbruster said the knowledge is as important for parents as it is for teens.
'If you are speeding, if you are driving distracted, they are more likely to pick that up,' he noted.
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