Memorial Day weekend marked the unofficial start of summer and a dangerous time of year for young drivers.
Nationwide, more than 30 percent of deaths involving teen drivers occur during what’s called the “100 Deadliest Days” – a period that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. For every mile driven, new teen drivers (ages 16-17 years old) are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash compared to adults.
Now that school is out for summer, these inexperienced teen drivers will have more time to spend on the road.
That means more time driving at night and potentially engaging in risky behaviors like speeding, texting, or simply sharing the vehicle with teen passengers.
The risk gets even greater when you add more vehicles on the road.
According to AAA, an average of 14 teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes between Memorial Day and Labor Day in Wisconsin, and every year, an average total of 43 people are killed in teen driver-related crashes with 15 of those fatalities occurring during the 100 deadliest days.
During the past 10 summers, 426 have died in teen driver-related crashes.
