Tips to help keep teens stay safe during the deadliest days of driving months

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Travel experts say that between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the most dangerous for teenage drivers.

For the next few months, AAA says that driving safety starts with parents setting an example for their teens and making sure they know the responsibilities and rules that come with driving.

While summer is a time to be out and about having fun, it comes with high risks for teenagers on the road. AAA says the time period between Memorial Day to Labor Day is known as the “100 Deadliest Days due to the increase in car crash deaths among teens.

“Buckle up. When we look at the data and we look at the numbers of teens who die in crashes, lack of seat belt use is a factor in about half of those crashes so that’s 50 percent. Just by wearing seatbelts we can drastically reduce these numbers,”

Schieldrop told 22News that speeding and distracted driving is also an issue. He says teens may be using their phones or distracted by their fellow teens. Under Massachusetts law, new drivers under 18 can not drive a car with any passenger under 18 unless the person is 21 or older with driving experience and a license.

Gerri from Springfield says parents should make sure their teen drivers know the basic driving rules, “Make sure they are permitted, make sure they know the rules, don’t text and drive, don’t phone and drive, hands-free please and try to keep your head up instead of down all the time.”

AAA says teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or not be able to recognize dangerous situations so they recommend parents should put their teens in driver’s ed and teach them the ways of the road.

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