More young drivers who lack experience take to New Jersey’s roads during the summertime, and this means enhanced dangers for drivers and passengers across all age groups. Teenage driver-involved car wrecks increase quite a bit across the state and nation during the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer, which is a name given to the particularly deadly stretch of time that occurs each year between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
According to NJ 101.5, there were more than 12,000 traffic deaths that took place during June, July and August of last year. Teenage drivers were responsible for many of them. Research also shows that the number of fatal car crashes occurring across the nation reached a 16-year high in 2021, raising more concerns about roadway safety. Many summer crashes, and particularly those involving teenage drivers, share similar variables in common. Some of these variables are as follows.
Driver distraction
All drivers are susceptible to distraction, but perhaps none more than teenagers. Cellphones are a common source of in-vehicle distraction. Other young passengers also often divert a teen driver’s attention away from the task at hand, contributing to or causing car wrecks.
Speed
Speed is another common element in fatal and nonfatal teen driver-involved car wrecks. When speed-related car crashes do prove fatal, those who lose their lives are often not the driver whose speed caused the wreck in the first place.
Other common factors in summertime teen-involved car crashes include nighttime driving and teens driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If this year’s current trends continue, the year may be even more deadly than 2021 when it comes to traffic fatalities.