In the News

Prom season marks the end of the school year for many teenagers old enough to drive – but it’s also the beginning of the deadliest season of the year for teen drivers and their passengers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), teen traffic deaths peak in the summer, when teens log more hours behind the wheel than at any other time of year.

To help protect teen drivers, AAA and Student Leadership Services (SLS) have launched a safety campaign to coincide with the proms, graduations and summer vacations conducted during this high-risk period. SLS will distribute safety materials to 600 Michigan high schools, along with AAA’s popular "Great Pretenders Party Guide,” a booklet containing nonalcoholic drink recipes from AAA Diamond®-rated restaurants throughout the Midwest.

“Summer is not the time to take a vacation from participating in your teen driver’s development,” said Gary Bubar, traffic safety consultant for AAA Michigan. “Parents need to define the expectations and requirements associated with the driving privilege and take precautions against drunk driving.”

Teen drivers average 44 percent more hours behind the wheel each week during the summer, says NHTSA. A review of five years of teen-fatality traffic data confirms that teen deaths increased nationwide in May, with 2,568 teen traffic fatalities reported between 1999 and 2003. The teen death toll is highest in July (2,786) and August (2,794) during the same five-year period.

Fatal crashes among teens increase during the summer months for a number of reasons: underage drinking that often accompanies proms and graduation; fatigue caused by driving longer distances during vacations; and overconfidence and speeding due to dry, clear roadways.

Teen drivers are also less likely to use restraints when they have been drinking. In 2003, 74 percent of the young drivers who had been drinking and were killed in crashes were not wearing safety belts.

Through student-led programs such as STAND (Students Taking A New Direction) and the Peer Resistance Skills Program, which trains high school students to teach fifth and sixth graders to say NO to negative peer pressure, SLS hopes to lower the number of teen traffic deaths that involve alcohol.

“There are three promises a person must make to be a member of SLS and its youth-led chapters,” said Pamela Voss-Page, executive director of Student Leadership Services: “I will not drink and drive. I will not ride in a car with a driver who has been drinking. I will help my friends do the same. We believe this commitment to one’s peers helps to encourage socially responsible behavior and, ultimately, save lives.”

With the same goal in mind, AAA has partnered with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to produce a 16-minute video, Young Drivers: The High-Risk Years. The DVD, which contains the real-life stories of those impacted by the death of a loved one, explains why crash rates for teen drivers are high and provides guidelines for parents who want to lower the risk for their children. AAA is providing free copies of Young Drivers: The High-Risk Years at its 43 full-service branches throughout Michigan.

A complete list of branch locations is available online at www.aaa.com. Traffic crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for 15-20 years olds. Not only do teen drivers have higher death rates than older drivers, even teen passengers’ death rates exceed those of older passengers. AAA urges parents to carefully consider if and when to allow their teen to transport other teens or ride with other novice teen drivers,” said Bubar, “especially during prom season.”