PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — The beginning of summer also starts another dangerous trend: an increase in deadly car crashes involving teens.
The National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF) says the time from Memorial Day to Labor Day is considered the “100 deadliest days.”
The NRSF is spending the coming weeks focusing on a social media campaign called the “The Safest Summer Ever.” They say the outreach is much needed as nearly 400 people are killed in California every year in crashes that involve a teen driver.
One of the biggest distractions is cell phones, but that’s not all. The number of passengers in the car with a teen can also be a major distraction as well.
The foundation teamed up with Students Against Destructive Decisions to get out life-saving tips for teens and parents. The collaboration is to encourage teens to talk to other teens about safe driving. Still, the foundation says parents still have the responsibility to talk to their teens as well.
“Some of those tips for the parents would be to be a good role model,” Michelle Anderson, director of operations with the National Road Safety Foundation said. “It's just that simple. Don't do anything you wouldn't want your teen to do when they're not with you.”
The Safest Summer Ever campaign though is focused on giving potentially life-saving tips to teen drivers.
“We are giving driving skill tips, how to manage yourself on the road, making a merge, making those left turns,” Anderson said of the campaign. “All of the tips, all of the skills for driving but then we’re also offering tips on how to select the right driving school.”
Another big distraction that comes along with handheld devices is reliance on GPS. The NRSF says drivers should look at the step-by-step directions laid out by the GPS before driving so looking up and down at the phone is needed as often.
To find out more about the National Road Safety Foundation, Students Against Destructive Decisions and “The Safest Summer Ever Campaign” click here.
Continue the conversation with Zach on Facebook.
Read more from ABC10
FOR NEWS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, DOWNLOAD OUR APP:
►Stay in the know! Sign up now for the Daily Blend Newsletter