LBPD and AAA Offer Reminders About Dangerous Teen Driving Season

LANSDALE, PA —The Lansdale Borough Police Department is reminding all drivers that Tuesday marked the beginning of the 100 deadliest days of the year for teen drivers.

According to research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, more than 7,000 people died in teen driving-related summertime crashes from 2010 to 2019. That is more than seven people a day during the Memorial Day to Labor Day period, compared to six people per day the rest of the year.

"There are more daily deaths in crashes involving teen drivers during the summer months than the rest of the year because teens tend to have more unstructured time behind the wheel," said Jake Nelson, AAA's director of traffic safety advocacy and research.

With pandemic restrictions easing, AAA said it's also a good time for parents to consider having their teens complete a comprehensive driver education course.

Teen drivers, according to AAA, also should focus on three factors common in deadly crashes involving teens: Distraction, not buckling up and speeding.

According to AAA, distraction plays a role in in nearly six out of 10 teen crashes, four times as many as official estimates based on police reports. The top distractions for teens include: talking to other passengers in the vehicle and using their smartphone.

It may seem obvious, but teens who fail to wear a seat belt also significantly increase their chances of dying or being seriously injured in a crash. According to a 2015 report, 60 percent of teen drivers killed in a crash were not wearing a safety belt. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2019, 47 percent of those killed in car accidents were not wearing a seat belt.

Meanwhile, AAA indicated that speeding was a factor in nearly 30 percent of fatal crashes involving teen drivers.

For parents looking for assistance in helping their teenage driver, AAA provides multiple online resources. "Coaching Your New Driver-An In-Car Guide for Parents" is a free four-page guide to help parents coach their teens on driving safety. TeenDriving.AAA.com has a variety of tools to help prepare parents and teens for the dangerous summer driving season.