AAA has identified the period of time between Memorial Day and Labor Day as the “100 Deadliest Days” of driving for teens behind the wheel. In fact, AAA reports that 30% of all teen fatalities due to auto accidents occur in the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
As we are in the midst of the dog days of summer, it is important that we remind our kids to be safe to help avoid Connecticut auto accidents by following some very simple rules of the road. These are rules that you will hopefully have gone over with your kids before now, but are good reminders as the summer winds down.
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Always put away your cell phone. A big distraction for all drivers, but especially teens are their phones. Taking your eyes off the road for just a split second to check a text message or change the song can be the difference between arriving safely at your destination or ending up injured. Encourage your kids to always drive with their cell phones put away.
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Friends. Having a friend in the car can be distracting and lead to an accident. It may seem harmless to chat with the person who is in the passenger seat or in the backseat of your car, but that seemingly small distraction could be the difference in your reaction time to an incident in front of you on the road.
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Seatbelts are a must. The good news is that 90% of drivers currently report that they wear seatbelts when they are driving. While this is good news, it is important to give your child a friendly reminder that seatbelts are the best way to save their life in the event that they are in an accident.
It can be tempting to assume that you’ve taught your child everything there is to know about driving since they’ve been doing it safely for some time now, but many of these lessons need to be repeated for adult drivers too. It is always good to check in with your child and make sure she/he is following the rules of the road that will help them prevent a Connecticut auto accident over the summer months and beyond.
Accidents do happen from time to time so there may come a point when you will need to speak with an experienced attorney to review your case if an injury has occurred. Contact our office and one of our attorneys will work with you to go over your case and work to protect your long-term interests.
