Now that the summer is here, it’s important to remember the dangers faced by teen drivers during the summer months. Traffic fatality statistics have long shown that the death rate for teens rises significantly for teen drivers and their passengers during the summer months. Twenty nine percent of all the teen drivers age 15 to 20 who were killed in traffic collisions in 2012 were killed during the months of June, July, and August. Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the most dangerous time for teen drivers.

With up to three months of largely free, unsupervised time on their hands, teens have many more chances to get into trouble while driving.

Parents can be pro-active in preventing their child from becoming a summertime driving statistic in a number of ways:

• If this is your teen’s first summer with an operator’s license, consider limiting their driving time.
• Set consistent curfews and enforce them.
• Limit the number of passengers your teen can carry.
• Prevent your teen from riding as a passenger of a teen driver with more than one other passenger.
• Ban not only texting but any type of cell phone use while driving; they must pull over and stop to use a cell phone.
• Ensure that your teen gets plenty of sleep.
• Give the teens chores or suggest a summer job to keep them busy and off the road.

To help ensure that your rules are followed, negotiate a “teen driving contract” with your teen. Make sure that the rules are clear and the consequences for breaking them are well understood.