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The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is traditionally called the “100 Deadliest Days,” due to research that shows this summer season is especially dangerous for teen drivers.
7,316 people died in teen driver-related summertime crashes (average of 812 deaths per year), based on 2012–2021 statistics. This was nearly half of the total number of those killed in teen driver crashes for the entire rest of the year.
Along with Impact Teen Drivers and The National Road Safety Foundation, We Save Lives is turning the focus to SOLUTIONS, encouraging parents to take an active role in saving the lives of our youngest drivers. We urge you to read the blog, press release, and tips for parents, and share your own tips and stories on social media, with the hashtag #100SafestDays.
Blog post: How to Keep Our Teens Safe
Another summer is upon us and as we make plans for vacations and summer fun, we would like to remind parents and guardians that we are entering the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer.” Read our blog on keeping your teen drivers safe this summer.
Press Release: ‘100 Safest Days of Summer’
Read a press release on We Save Lives, National Road Safety Foundation and Impact Teen Drivers’ campaign to encourage teen and parents to make the period from Memorial Day through Labor Day, what’s traditionally known as the “100 Deadliest Days,” into the “100 Safest Days.”
Blog: Letter to New Drivers
You may have heard of the famous prayer asking for the ability to accept what we cannot change, the courage to change what we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Safe teen driving is similar. Let me explain.
What Parents Can Do? How to Keep Your Teen Safe This Summer
- Have all family members sign a pledge to drive safely.
- Establish consequences for bad driving behavior, ie, no driving for a week, no TV or screens, etc.
- Set a good driving example. Kids watch what their parents do, including how they drive, for many years before they get a license. A recent survey from the National Safety Council reported that 91 percent of parents who use their cell phones do it in front of their teens knowing that they are “one of their teens’ primary driving teachers.”
- Ensure their teens follow the Graduated Drivers Licensing laws (GDL) in their state
- Never serve alcohol or other drugs at parties. In some states, parents can be held liable for underage drinking if a party-goer crashes on the way home.
- Urge your teen to call you if they are ever in a potentially bad driving situation. Let them know you will pick them up without repercussions, no questions asked.
- If your teen is learning to drive, practice with them frequently, be patient and positive, and always demonstrate safe driving habits when you drive.
- Ask them to add #BUTNOTWHILEDRIVING to their mobile device signature and teach them how to use Focus or Do Not Disturb.
- Ask them to keep you informed of where they are going, with whom and to call you if their plans change. It can save a lot of grief and worry.
- Empower them to show courage and decline a ride from a friend who has been drinking, taking drugs, or tends to drive distracted.
- Encourage them to take care of their own passengers and promise to keep them safe.
- Tell your teen when they are being signaled by a police car to always pull over, and follow instructions.
- Encourage them to sign the Courage to Intervene promise.
- And of course, talk early and often about speed limits, seatbelts, basic highway safety laws and tips on what to do if a tire goes flat, how to safely pull over in an emergency, etc.
- Make sure you and your children always wear seat belts.
- Encourage teens – and all passengers – to speak up if in a car being driven dangerously.
The Courage to Intervene Promise
Add #ButNotWhileDriving to Your Email Signature
Where can I get more information?
The National Road Safety Foundation