Memorial Day kicks off “100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers”

Memorial Day is the unofficial kick off to summer, but it also kicks off another unofficial milestone. This is the time of year that law enforcement agencies refer to as the “100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers.”

“One of the startling statistics is that teenagers, the number 1 cause of death for them is car crashes,” CHP Officer Jaime Rios said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012, nearly 1,000 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers. Cell phones, eating, other passengers, even the radio are all distractions with the potential to be deadly.

“Anytime you drive a car,” Officer Rios explained, “You’re going to be multi-tasking just by driving alone. Any time you add any other elements into the car, it’s going to be a distraction.”

Officer Rios participates in two programs aimed at keeping teen drivers safe. One of them is “Every 15 Minutes.” Students watch a mock DUI crash where one of their classmates dies in a crash and another classmate goes to jail for driving drunk. Giana Compagno participated in one of those programs several years ago. She was the mock victim. It’s an experience that she said changed her life.

“It was really moving,” Compagno said. “Like, it turned my life around. Not that I would ever do that to myself but I’ve gotten the chance to look at it in a different way.”

The other CHP program is called “Start Smart.” It teaches teen drivers and their parents about any new rules and laws. The next one will be held at the CHP headquarters in Salinas on June 10th.