Deadliest season begins for teen drivers

No longer bound by scholarly obligations, teens will pursue their free time to the fullest over the summer. Unfortunately for many of them, an automobile will almost always be involved. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the 101 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the most deadly season of the year for teenagers ages 15-20. The higher teen fatality rate is generally attributed to teens having more "free" time during the summer months, leading to more driving opportunities and less adult supervision. In response, AAA Northern California is warning teen drivers and their parents about 10 deadly driver mistakes and how to avoid them. "Two of the biggest problems are teens driving other teens, and driving while talking on the cell phone," said Kim Peres, an instructor at Auburn's E-Z Way Driving School. "It's not so much that teens think they're invincible behind the wheel, but that they're often absent-minded or inattentive." Peres spoke of the best strategies to curb teen-related driving deaths. "Parental supervision is huge," Peres said. "Parents need to know where their kids are in case of emergency and take a personal interest in making teens better drivers."Shelley Collins, the school operator, discussed the use of special devices in cars, with which parents could monitor their teen's activities. "We have a video that documents a teen driver, who is aware of the surveillance device, but nonetheless commits several driving blunders, such as running a red light, because she is distracted by her friends in the car," Collins said. "Parents could use these devices to make their teens better drivers." A personal annoyance for teen driver Fiona Armrusteo was that her friends didn't use signals or check their blind-spots often enough."We just need to watch out and drive safer," she said. Colin Berr can be reached at at colinb@goldcountrymedia.com.