100 Deadliest Days of Summer

May 15, 2019

The most dangerous time on the road for teens is the 100-day period between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year. Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens, taking about 3,000 young lives every year. Teens are 3X more likely to get into a fatal crash than more experienced drivers. Any impairment behind the wheel (by alcohol, drugs, texting, or other distractions) greatly increases the risk.

Do you know the facts about impaired and distracted driving?

Depending on how they interact with the brain, drugs can influence someone’s ability to drive in different ways. For example, marijuana can slow reaction time, impair judgment of time and distance, and decrease motor coordination. Drivers who have used cocaine or methamphetamines can be aggressive and reckless when driving. Certain kinds of sedatives, called benzodiazepines, can cause dizziness and drowsiness, which can lead to car crashes.

Alcohol impairment is just as dangerous. Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers with a BAC of .08 or higher. Young drivers (ages 16-20) are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% than when they have not been drinking at all.

Distractions behind the wheel (like texting) are also a huge concern. Every day, 9 people are killed and more than 1,000 are injured in crashes involving distracted drivers. Even drivers looking out the windshield can miss seeing up to 50% of what’s around them when talking on a cell phone.

Submitted by Alara Bedka