AAA finds that the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are when the number of crash fatalities involving teen drivers rise.
In Oregon, 72 people died in crashes involving teen drivers in the 10 years from 2010 through 2019. This averages to more than seven people dying each summer, compared to an average of more than 15 deaths in crashes involving teen drivers during the rest of the year in Oregon. Almost a third (32 percent) of all fatal crashes involving teen drivers in Oregon occur during the “100 Deadliest Days.”
Nationwide, more than 7,000 people died in teen driving-related summertime crashes during this 10-year period. That’s more than seven people per day during these 100 days compared to six people per day the rest of the year.
For 2019, Oregon ranks 29th in the country for most per-capita crash fatalities involving teen drivers with nearly seven deaths in crashes involving teen drivers per one million population.
Montana and Wyoming have the highest per-capita deaths in crashes involving teen drivers with more than 19 deaths. Rhode Island had no deaths in crashes involving teen drivers in 2019.
A data analysis done by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that for every mile driven, new teen drivers ages 16-17 years old are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash compared to adults. According to previous AAA research, nearly two-thirds of the people killed in a crash involving a youthful driver are someone other than the teen, including passengers, pedestrians, and drivers of other vehicles.
“Due to their inexperience, teen drivers are at a higher risk of crashes. Fatal crashes involving teen drivers go up during the summer months because teens tend to have more unstructured time behind the wheel. They’re driving to jobs, meeting friends and traveling to summer destinations,” says Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho.
According to the latest AAA Foundation Traffic Safety Culture Index, about 72 percent of teen drivers aged 16-18 admitted to having engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors in the past 30 days:
- Driving 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street (47%)
- Driving 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway (40%)
- Texting (35%)
- Red-light running (32%)
- Aggressive driving (31%)
- Drowsy driving (25%)
- Driving without a seatbelt (17%)
