BROWN COUNTY, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Some organizations like AAA refer to the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day as the 100 deadliest days of driving, particularly for teens.
Nick Jarmusz, the director of public affairs with AAA, said it's when school is out, teens have more free time, and traditionally, there's an increase in crashes and fatalities. He said while typically, they'd see more crashes with an increased volume of traffic, this year could be a bit different as the pandemic has cut some traffic volume for recreational travel and daily commutes. He said some data shows the number of crashes and fatalities per mile driven are up.
"So even though there's less people on the road, people that are on the road are more likely to be involved in a crash than they normally would," said Jarmusz. "People are unfortunately using the open road as an invitation to speed. They're dropping their guard down in terms of engaging in distractions behind the wheel, and just generally engaging in less safe driving behavior than they really should."
Jarmusz said it's hard to know what the summer might bring, but there are concerns about teens doing more driving this year. He said this is because traditional summer activities, recreational programs, and extracurricular activities teens may typically take part in might be canceled for the summer. He said places teens usually go to socialize might also be closed or at a limited capacity, so they might be more likely to get together and just drive around.
Lt. John Bain with the Brown County Sheriff's Office said Memorial Day and other holidays are typically busy days for traffic and crashes. He said this year could be different as overall traffic volume and traffic crashes had been down in recent weeks. He said he believes there's been a recent increase in traffic but likely not as much as they've seen during this time in previous year.
"I think one of the biggest things that we're seeing is people have a little bit more patience for driving or a little bit more time to dedicate to driving. We're not in quite a rush so they're giving themselves more time to stop, more distances between vehicles, and we're seeing some of the crashes, I think, go down because of that," added Lt. Bain.
He said he attributes this to the pandemic, adding that traffic habits are different from where they were a year ago.
Lt. Bain also said teen drivers are often a higher concern due to lack of experience. He said they don't always give as much room for breaking and are less experienced with handling a vehicle. He said it's hard to know what it might mean for the summer, as it is such a different year, but said those things are consistent and inexperience raises the likelihood of crashes.
His advice for all drivers is to continue to be patient and focused. He said if drivers are off their phones and electronics, paying attention to the road, allowing extra space for breaking, aren't tailgating, speeding or other negative driving behavior, the more likely they can avoid a crash.
Jamusz said when teens go out to drive, it's important for parents to talk with them about where they're going, what they're doing, and make sure they're following driving restrictions and tips. He also said it's important for parents to model good behavior while driving with a teen.
For more information on safety for teen drivers, go to teendriver.aaa.com.
