CT parents beware: Memorial Day to Labor Day the deadliest days for teen drivers

Teen drivers in Connecticut are at the start of what is reportedly the 100 deadliest days of the year on the road, with transportation officials anticipating this year to be the deadliest on record in the state.

The 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are reportedly the most dangerous on the road for teens, with 7,300 teen drivers dying in that time frame between 2012 and 2021, data shows.

And fatal crash rates are on track to be higher than average this year, experts say.

“We are currently on pace to have the new deadliest year on our roadways,” said Joe Cristalli, program coordinator for the DOT’s Highway Safety Office at a press conference in Hartford last week.

Experts from DOT and AAA contribute the high rates of fatal crashes to inexperienced teen drivers hitting the roads more often while school is out for summer break, distracted driving, speeding and drug and alcohol use.

“Some of the greatest dangers for teen drivers include drugs, alcohol, seat belt use, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding and the number of passengers in their cars. Parents, guardians, and caregivers are encouraged to familiarize themselves and their teens with Connecticut’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws to help keep them safe behind the wheel,” said Cristalli.

Here are 10 Hartford roads with the most crashes since 2020. With a map that shows worst spots.

The DOT urges teen drivers, and adult drivers alike, to drive sober, slow their speed, put down their devices and stay alert on the roads.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety completed a study that analyzed in-car camera footage from 2,229 teen driver crashes between 2007 and 2015 which found that 59% of crashes involved some type of distracting behavior in the six seconds leading up to the crash and 15% of crashes happened when drivers were talking to or interacting with a passenger.

The AAA Foundation’s 2021 Traffic Safety Culture Index also found that 39% of teen drivers between 16 and 18 who were surveyed admitted to driving 10 mph over the speed limit while driving on a residential street, while 28% of those surveyed admitted to texting while driving and 27% admitted to running red lights.

For drivers of all ages, 2022 was the deadliest year on Connecticut roads in over 30 years, with 386 people dying in motor vehicle crashes and collisions. As of late May, traffic fatalities across the state had surpassed numbers from this time last year, with more than 120 deaths including four fatal crashes over Memorial Day weekend, according to Department of Transportation officials.

As the number of crashes on Connecticut roads ramps up, fatal injuries for young drivers have been on the rise in recent years.

In 2022, 28.6% of all fatal crashes in Connecticut involved at least one driver who was between the ages of 15 and 25, up 5.1% — or 20 fatal crashes — from the year before, according to data analyzed by the Hartford Courant.

The University of Connecticut’s Crash Data Repository found that there were 3,216 crashes last year between Memorial Day and Labor Day involving teen drivers ages 15 to 19, leading to 16 deaths and 45 serious injuries.

The Fatality Analysis Reporting System reported that between 2012 and 2021, 56 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers — ages 15 to 18 — during those 100 days, representing 36% of all vehicle crash deaths during that decade, the study said.

In total, there were 102,549 motor vehicle crashes reported in Connecticut last year, including more than 29,000 — or 29% — involving young drivers, according to Courant data analysis. The total number of crashes has steadily increased year to year, up by nearly 20,000 total crashes since 2020.

AAA encourages parents to talk with teen drivers often about driving safely and to teach by example by avoiding distracted driving themselves.

“While they sometimes may not think so, parents remain the best line of defense to keep everyone safe behind the wheel,” said Tracy Noble, spokesperson for the AAA Club Alliance, in a recent statement. “It’s never too soon for parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of distracted driving, speeding and alcohol and marijuana impairment. But they also need to model good driving behavior themselves.”

Parents are also encouraged to create a parent-teen driving agreement that sets rules for teen driving. A template for such an agreement can be found on the AAA website.  AAA also provides a free guide for helping parents coach teens on how to drive safely, including a driving log and behind-the-wheel lesson plans, which are also available online.