GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) – Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer and that means more drivers on the roads. Yet for young drivers, the North Carolina Highway Patrol says it’s a particularly dangerous time of the year.
The 3 months between Memorial Day and Labor Day is what troopers call the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers.
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2013, more than 2,100 teens between ages 16 and 19 were killed in car crashes.
During the 100 day stretch, AAA says deadly teen crashes increase 43%.
Troopers say it’s because teens are less experienced, take longer trips, and have more distractions during the summer. Among those are cell phones and other passengers.
A 2014 UNC study found teen drivers were 6 times more likely to be involved in an accident when other people in the car were having loud conversations or playing around.
Sgt. Marvin Williams says having passengers in the car with a teen driver increases the chance for an accident by 50%.
“Passengers are actually probably a more critical risk to teen drivers than texting is because it’s a huge distraction that a lot of people don’t really think about at the time. But in the event when teenagers have a passenger, you have a constant distraction, either loud noises, talking or maybe even horseplay going on in the vehicles,” Sgt. Williams said.
Troopers will step up enforcement and educational efforts to teach teens about safe driving throughout this period.
Sgt. Williams says it’s important for teens to know the dangers, but parents bear responsibility too.
“We ask them to be aware of who and also how many passengers are traveling with your teen during the summer and obviously, some states like North Carolina limit the number of passengers you can have in a vehicle anyway,” Sgt. Williams said.
State law limits drivers under the age of 21 to one passenger in the vehicle.
Troopers will also be on the lookout for more drunk driving during the summer months.
