Safety Alert: July 4 Holiday is the Deadliest Day of the Year for Teen Drivers

Study reveals July is the most dangerous month to drive, Driving-Tests.org to launch “Be Safer, Drive Smarter" safety campaign to promote safer summer driving for teens.
By: Vitamin*E | Marketing + Communications
 
July 4 is the deadliest day of the year for teenage drivers.
July 4 is the deadliest day of the year for teenage drivers.
WASHINGTON - June 27, 2013 - PRLog -- Driving-Tests.org - a leading online educational learning site for permit test preparation and new driver education - announced the launch of a public service campaign to raise awareness for teen driver safety and encourage meaningful public and private responses to the issue.

Research by Driving-Tests.org compared NHTSA data on traffic fatalities from 2005 through 2011. The study shows that the most dangerous time of year to be on the road is during the summer months. More than 27% of all annual traffic fatalities occur during the months of July, August and September.  July has more fatalities than any other month of the year, making it the most dangerous month to drive.

According to the NHTSA, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the U.S. and automobile accidents are to blame for over 35% of all 15 - 20 year old fatalities. A 2012 study performed by AAA showed that the July 4 holiday is the most dangerous day to be on the road; more teenage driver fatalities occur on July 4 than any other day of the year. "Teen driving goes up by 44 percent during the summertime, and during these months, teens tend to drive more often and they have less parental supervision than they do during the school year,” said John B. Townsend II of AAA.

What causes the high accident rates?  Surprisingly, driving while intoxicated is NOT the leading cause of crashes involving teens (it ranks fourth on the following list). Over 75% of serious teen driver crashes are due to "critical errors" and the following three driving mistakes account for nearly 50% of all teen crashes:

1. Driving at unsafe speeds;
2. Lack of scanning to detect hazards, right of way, traffic signs, and signals;
3. Distracted driving (by something inside or outside the vehicle).

Research shows that most crashes are preventable. The following steps can be taken to help teenage drivers "Be Safer and Drive Smarter" during the summer months:

Parental Involvement Matters: Teens who say their parents set rules and pay attention to their activities in a helpful, supportive way are half as likely to crash. Experts agree that parents should talk openly about their expectations for when teens are behind the wheel.

Curfews are Key: More than 40 percent of teen auto deaths occur between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m, keep teenage drivers off the road during these dangerous hours.

Limit Passengers: Put a cap on the number of passengers allowed in your teen's car. For teenagers, the relative risk of a fatal crash increases as the number of passengers increases.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Talking on a cell phone can double the likelihood of an accident, and, a texting driver is 23x more likely to be involved in an accident than a non-texting driver. Follow this advice: ignition on, cell phone off.

Speak Up: Encourage teenage drivers to exercise their rights as passengers. Only 44 percent of teens say they would speak up if someone were driving in a way that scared them.

According to Driving-Tests.org CEO, Andrei Zakhareuski, “Since 2010, our organization has helped over 4.5 million learner drivers practice for their permit exams. We believe that smarter drivers are safer drivers; this is why we are launching our “Be Safer, Drive Smarter” campaign, because the sharp increase in driving-related deaths during the summer months is something we hope to help prevent.”

The “Be Safer, Drive Smarter” campaign will begin in late June 2013 with a series of social media infographics illuminating the dangers of “Distracted Driving” and is scheduled to run throughout the summer.  The company announced the publication of a parent-teen “Safe Summer Driving Contract” for July 3, 2013, and, intends to release a widely anticipated study that identifies the US states with the highest incidence of practice permit test success and failure is slated to be released on July 20, 2013.

About Driving-Tests.org: Driving-Tests.org is a leading online educational learning site that offers free permit practice test services to US learner drivers. Since 2010, Driving-Tests.org has issued over 4.5 million practice permit tests; over 250,000 Americans use driving-tests.org practice tests every month to prepare for their permit test. Written by a team of automotive and online education experts, the company offers over 550 unique practice permit tests for motor vehicles and motorcycles. Each practice test is based on the current year’s official Driver’s Manual so every learner driver can be sure they are receiving the most up-to-date test questions.

For more information about Driving-Tests.org visit www.driving-tests.org. Download a copy of the Driving-Test.org Fact Sheet.

Photo:
https://www.prlog.org/12164997/1
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Source:Vitamin*E | Marketing + Communications
Email:***@vitaminemc.com Email Verified
Tags:Auto, Teens, Safety, Summer, Teen Drivers, Driver Education, Practice Permit Test
Industry:Automotive, Family, Travel
Location:Washington - District of Columbia - United States
Subject:Reports
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