June 14, 2022

What are the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer?

Memorial Day through Labor Day is recognized as the traditional summer season. It lasts about 100 days, and those days also are known as the deadliest for travelers – especially for teen drivers.

You might think the winter months are the most dangerous for driving due to long nights, winter storms, and icy roads, but The National Safety Council (NSC) says the winter months are the least deadly because people travel fewer miles during the colder months.

When people drive more miles during the summer months, the road fatalities rise. The NSC says there were an average of 3,008 driving fatalities per month in 2019. The months of May through October significantly exceeded that average.

August posted the most road-going deaths with about 3,300. February had the least with about 2,400. Clearly, the 100 deadliest days of summer pose greater dangers for drivers.

Bad Driving Behaviors Contribute to Road Fatalities

Seemingly harmless behavior like texting, calling, chatting with passengers, and other distractions while driving increases the risk of a deadly accident for all drivers. Unfortunately, teen drivers are especially prone to bad driving behaviors, and suffer inordinately high accident and death rates during the 100 deadly days of summer driving.

Distracted driving, speeding, and not buckling up are three big reasons why many people die in auto accidents. That is particularly true of teen drivers.

Texting is a common practice among teens, and a common cause of distracted driving for all drivers. The NSC says about a third of teen drivers say they have texted while driving. Using the cellphone, adjusting the music, and interacting with passengers also could distract any driver.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Commission (NHTSA) says wearing a seatbelt could cut the chances of dying in an accident in half. NHTSA also says 45 percent of teen drivers who died in accidents in recent years did not wear their seatbelts.

Speeding is a significant factor in all accidents and contributed to 28 percent of teen traffic deaths.

Peer Pressure Increases Teen Driving Risks

Peer pressure is an additional factor that adds to the greater potential for traffic fatalities among teen drivers and their passengers. A teen is three times more likely to engage in risky driving when passengers are in the vehicle.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says when teen drivers drive with only other teens in the car, they are much more likely violate the speed limit and take unnecessary risks. The AAA foundation also states that the fatality rate rises 51 percent for all passengers when a teen driver has only teen passengers.

When teen drivers have at least one adult over age 35 in the car, the death rate decreases by 8 percent. That is a nearly 60-point variance and shows the very significant nature of peer pressure.

Drinking and Driving Kills

The summer holidays and general weekend activities often include drinking alcohol for many people during the 100 deadly days of summer. Drinking and driving greatly increases the potential for causing a deadly car accident.

Teens often engage in drinking and driving, although not all teen drivers do it. Many teens drink due to peer pressure, or as a generally rebellious act. It also makes some feel more like an adult, although there is nothing smart about drinking and driving.

NHTSA estimates that a quarter of all teen drivers who die in car accidents had been drinking. More than 80 percent of those unfortunate teen drivers had blood-alcohol concentrations that exceeded the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

How to Limit Potential Risks for Teens and Other Drivers?

Most experienced drivers are well aware of the many risky driving behaviors and take reasonable steps to prevent them. Those reasonable steps mostly involve driving within the posted speed limits, wearing seatbelts, and leaving the cellphone alone while on the road.

Just doing those things greatly reduces the potential for becoming an unfortunate traffic statistic. Parents can do even more to help ensure their teen drivers eventually become experienced adult drivers.

If you have a teen driver, you might make a list of who is allowed to ride with that teen, and place a limit on the total number of passengers allowed at a time. Data shows that the more unsupervised teens in the vehicle, the more likely something bad will happen.

Many recently- and currently-made vehicles include a teen driving program that limits the speed at which teens can drive. The programs also record driving inputs so that parents can review them to determine whether or not their teens are driving dangerously.

You also should regularly ride with your teen to help emphasize safe driving practices and monitor your teen’s progress as a driver. Riding with your child as little as once or twice a week could help assess your teen’s driving and where improvements can be made.

Possible Third-Party Liability in Accidents

One or more drivers often are liable when vehicular accidents happen. But the liability might include other parties.

For example, the owner of the vehicle might be liable for enabling a teen or another motorist to drive recklessly. The vehicle might be a powerful sports car or a big pickup that could overwhelm an inexperienced driver.

Maybe a repair shop recently performed faulty maintenance or repairs that created a dangerous mechanical condition that contributed to the accident. There are a lot of ways in which a third party might be partly or fully liable for property damage and injuries caused by an accident. An experienced car accident lawyer can help to sort out potential liability and help to hold all liable parties accountable if you recently survived an accident.

A Delaware County Car Accident Lawyer at Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C., Upholds the Rights of Accident Survivors

No matter how many precautions you take, risky and reckless drivers will be on the road with you. If you or someone you know are injured on the roads this summer, speak with our experienced Delaware County car accident lawyer in at Anthony C. Gagliano, III, Esquire, P.C. You can call us at 267-861-7100 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation Our law offices are located in Philadelphia and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. We represent clients in Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Bucks County, Chester County, Norristown, and throughout Pennsylvania.