100 deadliest days for teen drivers | ‘7 teens die each day during this time of year’

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Several traffic safety officials refer to summer months as the 100 deadliest days for teenage drivers in the nation.

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

“Normally during the summer months, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, we see about a 20% spike in teen fatalities on our roads and highways nationwide. It’s become known as the 100 deadliest days,” said the Director of public relations for the National Road Safety Foundation, David Reich.

That 20% increase averages out to be 7 teen deaths every day in the country.

The National Road Safety Foundation tells me that these days are mainly because teenagers are out of school and are driving more and sometimes, they become distracted.\

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

One fatal crash struck Tahlequah just a week ago that involved multiple teenagers.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol crash 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 transported to the hospital but later died from the injuries she sustained in the collision.

The National Road Safety Foundation wants to change the 100 deadliest days to the safest summer ever through several groups.

“What we want to do is encourage parents to talk to the young people about driving safety, said Reich. That means talking to them about obviously distraction but also things like speeding, drinking and driving; these are all things that parents need to talk to their kids about and lay some ground rules; and say you’ve got to be safe.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 40 thousand people died in traffic crashes last year.

If you would like more information on teen driving safety head on over to their website.