COLUMBUS, Ohio – Highway fatalities in Ohio over the Memorial Day holiday were slightly higher than a year ago as the long weekend ushered in what the AAA says is the most dangerous time of the year for young drivers and those who share vehicles and roadways with them.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported 14 deaths on Ohio roadways over the 2015 Memorial Day weekend, compared to 13 deaths in 2014. The four-day reporting period began Friday, May 22 and ran through Monday, May 25.
The patrol reports no fatal accidents in central Ohio.
Impaired driving played a role in three of the fatalities and four involved drivers or passengers who did not wear safety belts at the time of the crash, said Patrol superintendent Col. Paul Pride.
The holiday marked the beginning of the summer driving season, traditionally a busy one for all motorists, but also dubbed the “100 Deadliest Days” for teenage drivers by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
According to the foundation, more teens die in traffic crashes between Memorial Day and Labor Day than any other time of the year.
Based on a AAA analysis of the federal government’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 29 teens died on Ohio’s roads in 2013, more than a third of all the teen traffic fatalities for the for the year.
Nationwide, an average of 220 teen drivers and passengers died in traffic crashes during each of the summer months, 43 percent more than the remainder of the year, according to a release from the foundation.
However, the foundation reports two-thirds of those who die or are injured in crashes involving teenage drivers are other people: passengers, occupants of other vehicles, or pedestrians.
“Since teens drive more during the summer than any other season, this insight is a timely reminder to everyone – drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists – to be mindful when sharing the road with young drivers,” said Peter Kissinger, the foundation’s president and CEO.
While the number of people killed annually in crashes involving teen drivers fell by 56 percent, 66 percent of those killed were people other than the teen driver. The report showed 29 percent of those killed were in another car and 27 percent were the teen’s passenger.
The foundation has provided tools to help parents prepare for summer driving, as well as other resources.