According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the months between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the months between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers. Len Pagano of the Safe America Foundation is trying to change that deadly statistic.
Pagano started the foundation to not only teach kids how to drive, but about the dangers on the road. He hopes the students get the message.
"Part of the problem of summer is that we tend to look at teens, and they're out of school. They don't have that many responsibilities and they take more risks than adults and that's certainly true behind the wheel," said Pagano.
Jack Wachtel nearly lost his son, John, in a car accident.
"Nobody knows what really happened because there were no witnesses other than him. He was alone in the car. It was daylight. It wasn't raining out. He just came too fast into a turn and lost control of the car," said Wachtel
His son ended up wrapping his car around a tree.
"He had a traumatic brain injury. He had a collapsed lung. Broke several ribs. Shattered both bones in his arms. He had a 50-50 chance of living," said Wachtel.
Fortunately for Wachtel, John did live. He still undergoes therapy.
For those students taking the driver education class with the foundation, the prospective drivers will hopefully learn from the mistakes of others.
Wachtel says parents need to know where their kids are and that "parents need to know and have confidence in their kids and their driving ability."
What can you do to reverse this disturbing summer trend? Besides signing your teen up for class, make sure you model good driving behavior, because kids tend to do what parents do. You can also make your teens practice with you for a significant amount of time before letting them drive. For more information on foundation and their classes, visit http://www.safeamericadrivers.org/
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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the months between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers.
