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‘100 Deadliest Days’ Are Upon Us, So What Should You Know? '100 Deadliest Days' Are Upon Us, So What Should You Know?

By Michael Villegas

JAILAH PETTIS: The risk of harm is constantly a possibility when entering a car. It’s no secret that driving can be dangerous, even more so in summer. Statistics show a significant increase in car accidents during the warm weather.

JEREMY STRIANO: Our Michael Villegas joins us now live to tell us more about what those rising numbers mean for central New York drivers, especially younger drivers. Michael.

MICHAEL VILLEGAS: That’s right, Jeremy and Jailah. It is a dangerous time of year for teenagers. And school may be out, which may be the reason why it’s such a dangerous time for teen drivers.

VILLEGAS: 100 Deadliest Days is a term that AAA started to bring awareness to the dangers for teen drivers from between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This time of year has historically seen an increase in car accidents and deaths for those who are new to driving. This spike in numbers can be attributed to students being off from school or coming home from college and spending more time on the road. Valerie Puma, Communications Specialist for AAA, explains these numbers have steadily increased even through Covid.

VALERIE PUMA: Compared to 2019, 21 when it was still up from the number that we were seeing before the pandemic. So really, this is something that over the years is getting worse. So it’s something that teen drivers and their parents really need to be paying attention to.

VILLEGAS: With the trend from past years going up. It can only be assumed that this year is going to continue rising. But what tips can parents give their teens to keep them safe?

PUMA: AAA recommends that parents of teen drivers really start lessons at home. You want to be a good role model for your younger driver. You want to make sure that you’re showing them that you can’t play on your phone while you’re in the car. You need to limit all distractions, make sure that you’re really paying attention not only to what you are doing, but what other drivers are doing on the road. So it really starts at home.

VILLEGAS: Valerie says that this doesn’t only apply to teens but for inexperienced drivers in general. She advises those who are inexperienced behind the wheel to maybe seek driving lessons or be extra aware and try to limit distractions.

VILLEGAS: And some of the reasons may be the festivals that have been going on around here in Syracuse with the Taste of Syracuse, the Polish festival and the jazz festival that are happening here. It gives more opportunities for these teens to be on the road. Now they need to diminish the distractions that they have with their phones while they drive and this trend has been spiking up in 2023, as it has in the past from 2019 to 2021. But hopefully they can limit those distractions. Excuse me. So I’ll toss it back to you guys. Jeremy. Jailah.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Summer is a fun and joyous time to go outside and enjoy the warmer weather. It’s also a time when teenagers and young adults are off or home from school, which gives them more free time to drive to friends’ houses or other leisure activities.

Unfortunately, this also means that these teens have more opportunities to be behind the wheel and potentially get into accidents. AAA has labeled this time period, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the “100 Deadliest Days.” Between these two holidays, there is a significant increase in car accidents and teenage casualties related to car accidents.

Nationwide, 6,598 people have died in teen driver–related summertime crashes over a 10-year period from 2012 to 2021. In 2021 alone, 803 people were killed in these crashes. This is a 25 percent increase over pre–pandemic statistics from 2019.

In New York state, 19 were killed in crashes that involved teen drivers during the summer of 2021. From 2012 to 2021, 185 people were killed during the “100 Deadliest Days.” That equates to 19 deaths per year during that 10-year span. This is a big  increase from 292 people killed over the course of nine non–summer months.

Valerie Puma, communications specialist at AAA, emphasizes the unfortunate trend of these numbers.

“Compared to 2019-21 when it was still up from the number that we were seeing before the pandemic,” Puma said. “So really, this is something that over the years is getting worse. So it’s something that teen drivers and their parents really need to be paying attention to.”

Parents are the first solution when it comes to trying to fix this dangerous time period. Puma says that the best solution is also one of the easiest.

“Parents of teen drivers really start lessons at home. You want to be a good role model for your younger driver. You want to make sure that you’re showing them that you can’t play on your phone while you’re in the car. You need to limit all distractions, make sure that you’re really paying attention not only to what you are doing, but what other drivers are doing on the road. So it really starts at home.”

With so many festivals and fun activities to get to this summer, experts say, safety and awareness should always take  a front seat.

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