HARTFORD -- The 100 deadliest days for teen drivers is underway, according to AAA.
AAA said these deadly summer days may be more lethal than ever, because new research shows teen driver distraction is getting worse, not better.
According to AAA, over the past five years, more than 5,000 people have been killed in crashes involving teen drivers from June 1 until the Labor Day weekend.
In Connecticut, the number of fatalities over the summer months, according to crash data provided by UConn were 9 in 2011, 6 in 2012, 14 in 2013, 7 in 2014 and 12 last year: a total of 50 over the past 5 years.
“Despite every effort being made to educate teens about the dangers of distracted driving, AAA research indicates that the message is just not getting through”, said spokesperson Amy Parmenter in a statement released Wednesday morning. “And, all too often, the consequences are deadly.”
AAA said the study revealed that among rear-end crashes, the average eyes off the road time significantly increased from 1.5 to 2.1 seconds, as did the duration of the longest glance, from 1.5 to 2.1 seconds.
The study showed the percent of crashes in which the driver had no reaction prior to the crash nearly doubled, from 13 percent in 2008 to 25 percent in 2014.