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Why teenage car accidents increase in the summer

On Behalf of | Apr 27, 2021 | Car Accidents |

Teenage car accident rates increase dramatically in the summer. It’s long been said that the three most dangerous months for teens are June, July and August.

It’s one thing to understand that this increase happens or to know that around 1,000 people will lose their lives this summer. But it’s quite another to know why this happens and how we can combat these rising statistics.

Free time increases, and risks increase

The base reason for all of the trouble is just free time. School takes up a lot of time for nine months of the year, along with after-school activities and sports. But the summer gives teens a lot more free time, and this generally means they spend more time on the road.

In this sense, it’s not that teens are worse drivers in the summer. They are unsafe drivers at all times, largely because they’re inexperienced. The increase in crashes is just because they spend more hours on the road, driving more miles, and so the total crashes are higher than they would be in the fall or the winter.

There are plenty of related issues. Summer drivers may have friends with them, and friends are a distraction. They may turn up the music on a sunny summer day; music is also a distraction. They may break the speed limit as they go from one social event to the next, and speeding both makes accidents more likely and more dangerous.

All of this combines to create some of the most dangerous times on the road. And that’s true for adult drivers, as well, since they have to share the road with these teen drivers who cause accidents. Everyone is at greater risk until school is back in session in the fall.

What can you do?

Have you been injured in a serious car accident? You may be facing high medical bills and many other costs, so you need to know exactly what legal steps you can take. You may be able to seek financial compensation for some or all of these costs.

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