The summer months are the deadliest ones for young drivers, so one D.C.-area group is sharing tips to keep teen drivers safe on the road.
The Washington Regional Alcohol Program recently shared tips as part of an effort to ensure young drivers stay sober on the road.
The tips include ideas like instilling self-confidence in your kids, so they don’t feel like they need alcohol to have fun, and making sure you and your child know how to stay safe in case they do decide to drink.
All 10 of WRAP’s tips are available online.
“These tips are simply meant to reinforce their efforts to foster a healthy and safe summer for them and their teenage children,” said WRAP President Kurt Erickson in a news release.
In June of 2019, 282 drivers aged 15 to 20 died in a traffic crash, more than any other month, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Between 2015 and 2019, more young drivers died in crashes in the months of May, June and July than in any other months. In that span — the months of May, June and July combined — nearly 4,500 drivers aged 15 to 20 died in crashes.
In 2018, 24% of young drivers killed in U.S. crashes had been drinking and 19% had a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit.
“In 2019, an average of four-dozen teenagers died in U.S. motor vehicle crashes every single day during the summer months,” said Erickson.
“For too many parents, unfortunately, summer’s unstructured time may also be a deadly time for their teenage children and their friends.”
“Make no mistake about it, parents play an integral role in when and if their children drink alcohol,” said Erickson. “These tips are simply meant to reinforce their efforts to foster a healthy and safe summer for them and their teenage children.”
