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AAA: Memorial Day To Labor Day-Dangerous For Young Drivers

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aaamich.com

Memorial Day weekend marked the unofficial start of summer and unfortunately a dangerous time of year for young drivers. AAA Michigan calls this time, the “100 Deadliest Days”. A period that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

“For every mile driven, new teen drivers ages 16 to 17 years old, are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash, compared to adults.”

Adrienne Woodland is the spokesperson for AAA-The Auto Club Group in Michigan.  She says nationwide, more than 30 percent of deaths involving teen drivers occurs during what’s called the “100 Deadliest Days” - a period that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

“Now that the CDC has lifted many pandemic restrictions, young adults are eager to reconnect with friends, which means young inexperienced drivers will spend more time on the roads, and this increases the chances that they’re involved in a crash.”

Nationwide, each year an average of 2081 teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes -about 30-percent occurred during the 100 deadliest days.  In Michigan, an average of 22 teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes during this time period.

AAA says teens and parents need to understand the risks for teen drivers, such as driving with passengers.

“Teen drivers crash-risks multiply when they have teen passengers. Another risk is speeding, speeding is a leading factor in crashes for teens and adults.”

Woodland says parents should keep the doors of communication open with their teens and talk about abstaining from dangerous behavior behind the wheel, like speeding.  They should also teach by example, minimizing any risky behaviors while driving.

More safety tips can be cound at AAA.com

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.