Michigan’s Risky Summer Driving Period Has Begun

On Monday, Memorial Day kicked off what is known in Michigan and around the country as the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers.

Let's take a look at what makes these 100 days so dangerous and what steps can be taken to help protect Michigan teens who will be driving this summer.

100 Deadliest Days For Michigan Drivers

The 100 or so days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are when there is usually an increase in fatal car crashes

According to recent numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving is a contributing factor in almost 30% of all roadway accidents.

Most Common Distracted Driving Activities

There are so many things now that can distract a driver behind the wheel.

Some of the most problematic ones include activities such as:

• Texting
• Making phone calls
• Entering or adjusting GPS
• Eating while driving (This can double the chances of being involved in a crash)

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With 3,275 deaths in 2023 believed to have been caused by some form of distracted driving, it's important that we all ask ourselves what can be done to lower this awful number.

How To Prevent Distracted Driving

In a dream world, we would all buckle up and make sure our seatbelts are properly fastened, adjust our mirrors, and have our hands on the steering wheel at 10 and 2.

While that might seem impossible for some, these are some things the experts at AAA recommend you do when getting behind the wheel to prevent distracted driving.

• GPS: If you're going to be using it, make sure you enter your destination before you even put your car in drive.
• Do Not Disturb: Experts recommend putting your phone on "Do Not Disturb"
• Put Your Passenger Princess To Work: The front passenger needs to do their part to make sure the drive goes as smooth as possible. If something comes up that needs attention, they should handle it so the driver can be 100% focused on the road ahead. If that's not an option, then you should safely signal and find a place to pull over to handle things.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've had a few close fender benders because I decided I couldn't wait 5-10 minutes to get home to eat my food while I was driving.

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Or when I tried to reply to a text that, in the end, was not important enough to put my life or others at risk.

This is a great reminder for adults and young teen drivers that they need to always be paying attention when driving behind the wheel.