Summer’s ‘100 Deadliest Days’ have begun

The summer is a relief for many in New York. For working adults, it’s a chance for longer days, relaxing evenings and going on vacation. For students, it’s a break from school and a chance to see friends. Summer days are thought of equally as packed with activities and relaxingly open.

For many, though, this fun three-month stretch will not deliver on that promise. Instead, it could bring heartbreak and serious injuries. That’s because the stretch from Memorial Day to Labor Day leads to so many fatal teen car accidents that researchers call it the “100 deadliest days of summer.”

You can find the spike in serious car accidents everywhere, but let’s take a look at what it means in New York state. In the decade from 2008 to 2018, teen car crashes took more than 20 lives per year, or 222 overall. If you compare that to the rest of the year, despite it being far longer, just 382 people died in similar accidents. That means that the increase in deadly teen crashes during the summer is a staggering 70%.

These statistics only look at accidents that teens are involved in during the summer. You also have plenty of accidents involving adults, drunk drivers, distracted drivers and many more. However, the spike among teens is very interesting because they have such a massive schedule change once school is out. It is clear that having more free time to be on the road is leading to a rise in deaths.

Finally, remember that not all accidents have to be fatal to have dire ramifications. If you are involved in a crash caused by a teen driver and wind up with serious brain or spinal cord injures, your life could change forever. Make sure you know what legal steps you can take.