Teen drivers urged to take extra care

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

With the school year just about in the rearview mirror and freedom at their fingertips, what experts call the “100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers has commenced

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, an average of seven people are killed per day in teen driver-related crashes, according to AAA Nationwide, 31% of deaths involving teen drivers take place over the 100-day span According to AAA, there are 2,341 deaths per year connected to teen crashes, with 732 coming in the aforementioned window

“Summer is historically a dangerous time for teen drivers,” stated AAA spokesperson, Mark Jenkins “Now that school is out, teens will spend more time on the road, often driving with friends at odd hours of the day and night Because of their inexperience, teens are more susceptible to dangerous driving behaviors like speeding, driving distracted, and not wearing a safety belt AAA urges parents to model safe driving behavior and reinforce safe driving habits with their teen drivers to help keep them safe this summer ” know, no matter what meteorologists pred i c t a b o u t t h e A t l a n t i c Hurricane season early on, it

“The way the weather warning system works in our country is called the Integrated Warning Team,” Noah said

M e d i a c o m m u n i c a t e s t h e threat to the public, the National See HURRICANE, page 9 capecoralbreeze.com

AAA officials say traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens 16 to 19 For every mile driven, new teen drivers (16-17) are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash compared to adults, AAA said

In Florida, AAA said on average, 153 teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes each year, with 40 (26%) occurring during the

See 100 DAYS, page 23