AAA SAYS MEMORIAL DAY MARKS THE START OF THE 101
DEADLIEST DAYS ON THE ROAD

Phoenix, Arizona, May 29, 2006 — The 101 days from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day are the deadliest days on the road, with more fatal crashes and more children and teens dying than at any other time of the year. That’s the finding of a new report by a national coalition of driving safety advocacy groups urging families to adopt survival strategies to avoid family tragedies this summer.

“This is the time of year when Americans pack up everything most precious to them – their families – and set out on the road to travel more than a trillion miles,” said David Cowley, Public Affairs Manager for AAA Arizona. “For most if will be a time of happy memories but so some families, their trip will end in needless tragedy. It’s time to change that.”

The report, by “Drive for Life” — an initiative of the AAA, Volvo Cars of North America, and Partners for Highway Safety, in cooperation with a number of law enforcement and highway safety groups — details six factors that contribute to fatal crashes and provides survival strategies to keep families safe. Among the major contributors to summer crashes are failure to wear safety belts or use child safety seats properly, drinking and driving, fatigue, car maintenance failures, speed, and distractions. Among the report’s major findings are:

• Americans travel more than one trillion miles in summer–that’s an extra 10.5 million miles per month compared to the rest of the year.
• More children die in motor vehicle deaths in summer, with crashes being the No. 1 cause of children’s deaths.
• Teen traffic deaths also peak in summer, when teens log significantly more hours behind the wheel and are much more likely to drive at night — many, for the first time. Parents should limit their teens’ nighttime driving and restrict the number of teen passengers they carry. Graduated Driver’s Licensing laws passed in other states have reduced teen crashes and deaths. Although the teen driving legislation AAA Arizona sponsored this year failed, parents can still protect their teens by imposing the same limitations.
• Children are more likely to be on the road with their parents in summer — traveling longer distances, at night and for longer stretches at a time.
• Parents driving with children are more likely to drive fatigued and at night, when they are most likely to meet up with a drunk driver.
• What can a family to do to keep themselves safe? Make a commitment to safer habits when taking to the road with their families this summer. Make sure children are properly restrained, your car is properly maintained, and avoid distractions while you drive.