With Memorial Day having come and gone, we’ve entered a
period officials call the 100 Deadliest Days of the Year for teen
drivers. It is a mission to raise awareness for driving safely during the
summer months when more young drivers are on the road.
According to the FL Dept of Transportation (FDOT), the “100
Deadliest Days” is the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when fatal
teen crashes increase dramatically. Nationwide, more than 7,000 people died in
teen-related crashes from 2010 – 2019 during this summer period. On average,
eight people are killed and 49 are seriously injured on Florida’s roads each
day – driver behavior is a contributing factor in a majority of these serious
and fatal crashes.
The agency said that teen drivers have a higher rate of
fatal crashes due to immaturity and a lack of skills and experience. Teenagers
speed, wear their seat belts less often, and they get distracted easily - especially
when friends are in the car. Parents are the best line of defense to ensure safety
- they have more influence on their teen drivers than they think. FDOT suggests
that parents talk to their teens before giving them the car keys and remind
them to pay full attention to the road and not text while behind the wheel.
To help cut down on distracted driving this summer, state
transportation leaders will unveil their Target Zero Campaign this week
to help reduce the number of transportation-related serious injuries and deaths
across Florida to ZERO. Media ads will run through June with one
important goal - to keep drivers’ eyes on the road. Research shows that young
males ages 22-27 make up 50% of fatal crashes, so there will be a special focus
on young men their mid-20s with a message not to text and drive
FDOT and State Troopers remind ALL DRIVERS to:
*Put your phone down & only focus on driving
*If you need to return a text or phone call, find a safe place to pull over first
*If you see someone who appears to be distracted while driving, dial *3-4-7
to report them
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