100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Many highway safety officials consider the summer months to be the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers in the country.

Each year, an average of 2,100 teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes.

“Normally, during the summer months, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, we see about a 20% increase in the number of teen deaths on our roads and highways nationwide. It’s called the 100 Deadliest Days,” said David Reich, director of public relations for the National Highway Safety Foundation.

This 20% increase equates to an average of 7 adolescent deaths every day in the country.

The National Road Safety Foundation tells me these days are mostly because teens are out of school and driving more and sometimes they're distracted.

“On average, in the general population, distraction is a factor in about 30 percent of all fatal crashes nationwide,” Reich said. But for teens, especially during the summer months, distraction is a factor in about 60 percent of all fatal crashes.

A fatal crash hit Tahlequah just a week ago and involved several teenagers.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol accident report, a 15-year-old passenger was ejected from the vehicle after the 18-year-old driver was traveling at an unsafe speed around a curve.

The passenger was taken to hospital but died from her injuries in the collision.

The National Foundation for Highway Safety is working to turn the deadliest 100 days into the safest summer ever through several groups.

“What we want to do is encourage parents to talk to kids about driving safety,” Reich said. This means talking to them about distractions, obviously, but also about things like speeding, drinking and driving; These are all things parents need to talk to their children about and set ground rules; and say you need to be safe.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 40,000 people died in traffic accidents last year.

If you would like more information on teen driving safety, visit their website.