Summer vacation is something that most people remember nostalgically, and it is certainly a time that high school students love. Most schools are done by early June, and students don’t have to go back until late August or even September. They essentially have three months of freedom.
Unfortunately, this freedom comes with some serious risks. Studies have found that teenagers get involved in a higher number of fatal accidents during the summer than they do the rest of the year. The general reason for this is simply that students have more free time and so they drive more often. Because of their inexperience and their high crash rates, this increased number of miles being driven also increases the serious accidents that occur.
You may be long done with high school, but you still have to share the road with these drivers all summer. It’s important to understand the risks that you face and how they’re more severe during summer vacation.
Is there anything you can do?
The first thing to do is simply to identify the fact that teenagers cause a lot of these accidents. You need to become a better defensive driver so that you can anticipate their mistakes. Any time that you see someone who looks like they’re not paying attention or like they’re driving rather negligently, keep your distance. The more alert and attentive you are, the better you can react to these mistakes that you know will occur. You can’t prevent teenage drivers from making mistakes, but you can help keep yourself from getting injured.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that a teenager won’t make a mistake you can’t avoid. If you suffer serious injuries, then you need to know what legal options you have.
