New teen drivers ages 16-17 years old are three times as likely as adults to be involved in a deadly crash, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
This alarming finding comes as the “100 Deadliest Days” begin, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when the average number of deadly teen driver crashes climbs 15 percent compared to the rest of the year. Over the past five years, more than 1,600 people were killed in crashes involving inexperienced teen drivers during this deadly period.
PennDOT data shows that in 2016, 16 and 17 year-olds were involved in 6,671 crashes in Pennsylvania, a 6.3 percent increase over 2015 crashes and a 15.8 percent increase over 2014 crashes. Locally, 1,546 (23 percent) crashes occurred in the Philadelphia 5-county area.
“Statistics show that teen crashes spike during the summer months because teens are out of school and on the road,” said Jana L. Tidwell, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “The Foundation’s research found that inexperience paired with greater exposure on the road could create a deadly combination for teen drivers.”
For full details on this research please go to: http://newsroom.aaa.com/2017/06/new-teen-drivers-three-times-likely-involved-deadly-crash/
