There’s much to love about summer. The weather is great, everyone’s in a good mood, and it feels like there’s always something fun to do. However, there’s a darker side to everyone’s favorite season, too, one that isn’t discussed nearly as much as it should be: it’s just about the most dangerous period to be on the roads. While there are a lot of instances around Christmas, as a whole, it’s summer that does the most damage. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the reasons why.
TEENS ON THE ROAD
The issues surrounding teen drivers during the summer that there’s even been a term coined to cover related incidents: the ‘100 deadliest days.’ The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day has killed thousands of teens over the past five years, due to road collisions. This is primarily because there are simply more teens on the road during the summer. It’s an age group that has historically been involved in higher than average incidents on the road. During the summer, they’re out for longer, with their friends (peer pressure is an issue), and they’re sometimes drinking.
LONG ROAD TRIPS
There’s nothing better than a long road trip, but only when everything goes as it’s supposed to. While there’s a lot of magic connected to taking a long trip in your car, it’s true that there are certain aspects of it that can cause an accident. For instance, road trippers could be pushing their car to the limit; if something goes wrong with the car when they’re driving, it’s more likely there will be accident. Second, drivers are typically finding themselves in unfamiliar driving environments, such as mountains, where cars handle differently. Finally, tiredness from many hours of driving also increases the risk of something going wrong.
PARTY MODE
Everyone’s in a generally fun and relaxed spirit during the summer months, but sometimes it’s too relaxed. For example, people seem to think the rules are more of a choice when the weather is warm. If they go to a BBQ, some people will have more alcoholic drinks than they’d normal, and still drive home. This greatly increases the chance of an accident, and puts the driver, other drivers and pedestrians at risk. It’s one of the main reasons why people call a car accident lawyer during the summer. If you’re hosting a BBQ, make sure that no-one you invite is driving away after they’ve consumed alcohol.
CAR ISSUES
It’s always fun when the temperatures creep up, up, up, but this can wreak havoc with your vehicle. In particular, tires are at greater risk during the summer, and many blowouts occur. When they do, it’s much more likely that an accident will occur.
DIVERTED TRAFFIC
Finally, we all know one thing that summer is famous for: construction! While they’re making the roads safer in the long run, they do cause many a fender bender in the process. People struggle with merging lanes and diverted traffic, especially if they’re used to driving the roads.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
