When Kentucky high schools let out for the summer, you can expect an influx of inexperienced teen drivers on the state’s roadways, and as more teenagers take to the roads, crashes and automotive fatalities often increase. The length of time between Memorial Day and Labor is such a dangerous time to be on the road, in fact, that this period has become known as summer’s “100 Deadliest Days.” At Russell & Ireland Law Group, LLC, we know that automotive fatalities involving teen drivers rise considerably during the summer months, and we have helped many people who experienced an injury or lost a loved one in a car crash seek recourse in the aftermath.
AAA reports that, in the 100 Deadliest Days of 2017, alone, more than 1,050 people passed away on the nation’s roadways in car crashes involving teenage drivers. This is a 14% increase in comparison with teen driver-involved automotive fatalities that occur throughout the rest of the year, and it equates to about 10 people losing their lives every day throughout the duration of the 100 Deadliest Days.
While some of these teen driver-involved road deaths result from driver inexperience, others occur because some teenage drivers fail to follow the rules of the road and choose to engage in dangerous driving behaviors. Speeding, for example, is a common factor in many road deaths involving teenagers that occur during summer’s 100 Deadliest Days. In fact, speed is a contributing factor in about 29 percent of all road deaths from crashes involving teenage drivers.
Driving at night, too, statistically increases a teenage driver’s chances of a car wreck, and this is particularly true during summer’s 100 Deadliest Days. More than 35 percent of all road fatalities involving teen drivers take place between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. You can find more about car crashes on our webpage.