Iowa parents and teen drivers are being reminded — and warned — about the typical increase in fatal crashes involving teens during the coming few months. Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says this holiday weekend marks the start of what her organization refers to as the 100 deadliest days of summer for new drivers. “In Iowa, the statistics are a little bit higher than the national average,” White says. “Looking at the period of 2009 through 2013, we show 39% of all teens that are killed during the course of the year are killed during that period of Memorial Day through Labor Day.”

The Iowa D-O-T reports a total of 22 Iowa teens were killed in crashes last year statewide and ten of those deaths happened between the two holidays — so almost half. A combination of factors can get the blame, she says, including the inexperience of a teen driver as well as all of the distractions of taking a drive during the summertime. “This time of year, we often see teens acquire their driver’s license, they’re very excited about having that new privilege,” White says. “We also know there’s a lot of social driving that takes place. They have a lot of free time on their hands. Many times, if they have passengers in their vehicle, those passengers can be a severe distraction to that novice driver.”

A motor club survey finds drivers who are 16 and 17 are involved in seven times as many crashes per mile driven as drivers in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

(Radio Iowa)