Parents, Take Note: Summer A Dangerous Time for Teen Drivers

With seven of the ten deadliest days for teen traffic crashes coming up in the next months, it is crucial that parents work to enforce safe driving with their children.

The seven days are between the Memorial and Labor Day holidays, making summer the most dangerous time of the year for teen drivers, according to an analysis of crash data by AAA New Jersey Automobile Club.

“Parents should not underestimate the critical role they play in keeping their teens safe, especially during these high-risk months,” said Cathleen Lewis, director of public affairs for the AAA. “Life feels more care-free when school’s out and teens have more opportunities to drive or ride in cars late at night with other teens-a deadly mix. “

According to AAA, over 7,300 teen drivers and passengers ages 13-19 died in traffic crashes between the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays during the five-year period of 2005-2009.

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in America and schools in the Essex County area are doing what they can to educate their students.

“My entire senior class drives and most of my junior class by the end of the year,” said Julie Hoebee,  acting principal at West Essex Regional High School in North Caldwell. “We are cognizant of the statistics and continuously bring in new student programs to educate them on safe driving.”

New Jersey has restrictions on the amount of passengers a teen driver can have under the Graduated Driver Licensing law (GDL). Last month was the 10th anniversary of the creation of the GDL laws and traffic accidents among teens have decreased 42 percent since 2001.

 “To keep teens safe during these dangerous months and year round, parents should go beyond compliance of state laws and make teens abide by rules of the house,” said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger.

There are precautions parents can take to help increase safety for their teens, such as: restrict driving and trips without purpose, be effective driving coaches, limit the number of passengers and time spent in the vehicle, and restrict night driving.

Teens can also enroll in defense driving programs that help them to create good daily driving habits and drive in a way that helps avoid collisions and accidents.

“It is difficult for a parent to control what their teens are doing when not in their presence, but there needs to be a discussion about driving,” said Captain Don Sax of the Belleville Police Department. “A teen’s focus needs to be entirely on driving and the number of passengers should be limited to one, unless it is a family member. It is the distraction and inexperience that is one of the main causes of teen accidents.”