Study: Drunk driving more prevalent with teen summer crashes than texting

One of the deadliest times of the year for teen drivers is the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Recently the AAA Foundation looked at teen accidents resulting in death and the factors in crashes from 2013-17.

One representative from AAA was surprised at the findings.

“We typically have seen distracted driving being a much more common issue with teen drivers,” Nick Jarmusz said. “In the summer months, however, it switches to drinking and driving.”

Seventeen percent of the accident deaths included drinking and driving, while nine percent were caused by distracted driving — though Jarmusz presumes the latter figure is probably underreported because it’s tough to prove.

“The responding law enforcement agencies or crash reconstructionists are not going to put something in the report that they can’t positively verify,” Jarmusz said.

In recent sessions, states in the Midwest, including Minnesota, have either passed or proposed legislation that would ban hand held device use while driving, and instead only allowing hands-free apps and phones.

“There’s actually not much difference between a hand held or hands free conversation,” Jarmusz said. “Using hands-free systems still leaves you cognitively distracted.”

Over the past five years, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, an average of almost 700 people died each year in crashes involving teen drivers throughout the country.