Parents of teens in the Austin area know that their kids don’t always make the best decisions. Teens always seem to push the limits and try and get away with doing things they maybe shouldn’t. They area also incredibly influenced by their peers and can get into trouble that way too. A recent report by AAA illustrates the dangerous driving behaviors teens can engage in.
Teen drivers typically have a bed reputation. They don’t have the years of experience that other drivers have, and they often make bad choices. During the summer teens are driving more. They are driving to their jobs, driving to see friends, and just driving to hang out. AAA has called the time from Memorial Day to Labor Day as the 100 deadliest days of summer for drivers. During these 100 days, teen drivers have killed nearly 3,500 people in the last five years.
Reckless behavior is often what causes these deadly teen crashes. Nearly half of teens admit to speeding on residential streets in the last 30 days while nearly 40 percent admit to speeding on the highway. In addition, one in six fatal accidents involving teens has alcohol present. And finally, distracted driving continues to be a major cause of accidents. It can be hard to measure the prevalence of distracted driving but more than half of teens admit to reading a text or email while driving and nearly 40 percent admit to sending a text.
When a teen driver engages in risky driving behavior such as drinking and driving, speeding, and texting, they put their lives along with every other person they meet on the road at risk.
