Summer Months Bring a 20 Percent Increase in Teen Traffic Deaths, Averaging 7 Every Day
NEW YORK, May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Memorial Day weekend kicks off what is often referred to by traffic safety experts as “the 100 deadliest days.” The period from Memorial Day through Labor Day usually sees a dangerous spike in teen traffic fatalities – an increase of more than 20 percent over year-round figures. Each year an average of 2,100 teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes, with 30 percent – seven deaths a day on average — occurring during the 100 deadliest days.
Again this year, the National Road Safety Foundation is teaming with tens of thousands of young people active in SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) to instead make this “The Safest Summer Ever.” Leaders from both youth groups will participate in a virtual media tour and teens from SADD will be mounting a massive social media campaign to call attention to a range of safe driving issues from distracted and drowsy driving, impaired driving, speeding and seat belt usage, along with an effort to empower passengers to speak up when in a vehicle that’s being driven dangerously. The campaign will have different safe driving messages posted on social media every week, with those posts amplified by shares and re-posts by SADD chapters and members nationwide.
“By mobilizing the tens of thousands of student safety advocates in middle schools, high schools and colleges nationally, we hope to make this the safest summer ever, not only for teens on the road, but for all drivers and passengers,” said Michelle Anderson, director of operations at the National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit group that for more than 60 years has been promoting driving safety.
Messages will include material from the Passport to Safe Driving, created by the National Road Safety Foundation and SADD students to engage teens and adults on the driving skills they need to be safe. Safest Summer Ever posts can be seen throughout the summer at #SADD and #nrsf.org. Messaging will also encourage passengers to speak up when in a vehicle that is being driven unsafely, since passengers of all ages account for about 62 percent of traffic fatalities nationwide.
This year’s campaign comes as crash statistics released by the Governors Highway Safety Association show only a very small decrease in crash fatalities last year after they hit a 16-year high of 42,915 in 2021.
About SADD: For almost 40 years, SADD, the nation’s premier youth health & safety organization has worked to empower teens, engage parents, mobilize communities, and change lives around the issues of traffic safety, substance abuse, and personal health and safety. Through a national network of peer-led chapters in middle schools, high schools and colleges, SADD equips our students with the resources they need to advocate for change on their campuses and in their communities. Join the movement by visiting www.sadd.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
About FCCLA: Family, Career and Community Leaders of America is a dynamic and effective national student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and address important personal, family, work, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. FCCLA has more than 180,000 members and more than 5,400 chapters from 48 state associations, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
About The National Road Safety Foundation: The National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF), a non-profit organization, creates driver safety programs for free distribution to teachers, police, traffic safety agencies, youth advocacy groups and others. NRSF has programs on distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving and other traffic safety issues. NRSF also sponsors national contests for teens in partnership with SADD and FCCLA and regional contests partnering with auto shows in Detroit and Chicago. To view free programs and for more information, visit www.nrsf.org.
SOURCE The National Road Safety Foundation
