Alcohol Fuels Teen Deaths in Virginia over the Summer

We are now in what’s known as the “100 deadly days” for teen drivers. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a combination of drunk and distracted driving proves to be a deadly cocktail. Alcohol fuels teen deaths in Virginia and elsewhere.

In 2018, the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day spans just 98 days. The 100 deadly days started on the weekend of Memorial Day.

With the exception of Memorial Day itself, the July 4 holiday is one of the most dangerous times on the roads.

The number of teens who drink alcohol and drive fell by more than half in the past 25 years, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nevertheless, the figures remain stark. While alcohol fuels teen deaths so too do drugs. Some studies suggest drugged driving is as dangerous as drunk driving.

Drivers aged 16 to 20 are 17 times more likely to lose their lives in a crash when they have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08%, the Virginia intoxicated driving standard.

If your son or daughter is going out on the roads over the summer months, you should make sure they are not drinking alcohol and have a designated driver. If teens are going to be drinking at parties, encourage them to take Uber or Lyft home.

Over the 100 deadliest days, an average of 10 teens a day lose their lives in the United States.

Scott Hadland of Boston University School of Medicine has studied the loss of teen lives over the summer months. He said the vast majority of young people who are killed in alcohol-related crashes lost their lives on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Hadland suggests parents may want to consider limiting the extent to which young people drive during late hours on weekends.

An average of 260 teens are killed in car crashes caused by any cause every month during the summer, an increase of more than a quarter compared with other times of the year, according to We Save Lives, an organization set up in memory of a woman who was killed by a drunk driver.

We Save Lives stress parents should not be serving alcohol or other drugs to teens at parties. The organization also wants to eliminate distractions behind the wheel.

According to the National Safety Council, a recent survey found that 91 percent of parents who use their cell phones while driving do so in front of their children, setting a bad example.

Every year teen lives are lost in holiday hotspots like Virginia Beach. If you or a loved one has been injured by a drunk driver, please call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at (757) 455-0077.