Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the most dangerous driving season

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, thousands of highway deaths happen across the nation.

It’s an especially dangerous period for younger drivers.

“Teenagers between that 15 to 18, 15 to 19 time period have a lot more time on their hands that could involve them doing driving or getting together with friends, and sometimes they get into some trouble,” AAA spokesperson Morgan Dean said. “Teenage drivers just don’t have the experience of drivers who’ve been on the roads for a longer period of time, and in some situations, they just don’t know how to react to them.”

In Virginia, 141 people were killed in car crashes during the summer months between 2012 and 2021.

These incidents account for 32% of all statewide car crashes within the time period.

Dean says it’s important to talk to young drivers in your family about how to stay safe on the road.

“A very important [rule] is avoiding those distractions, the cell phone’s the biggest one, but it is not the only one out there. On board electronics on the car, passengers and pals in the car, music, food, drink, all those things can be distractions,” Dean said.

Overnight hours are especially dangerous. 36% of these deaths took place between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

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