Not Out of the Woods Yet With ‘100 Deadliest Days’ in Texas
The days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the deadliest days of the year on the roads, and there was proof of that earlier this summer in East Texas when a teen driver was killed when his vehicle went off the road and flipped. Just why is the summer so deadly? Turns out there are several reasons.
I know you don't do these things, but sometimes other people do. They get into vehicles under the influence after summer parties, time with friends, and beach trips and things. Summer is a blast, but it provides a prime opportunity to do some really dumb things too, like not calling a designated driver and thinking we'll just power through. Things can happen so fast.
Texas is a cool state to visit, so summer brings extra sober visitors who add to the number of cars on the roads too, and with more traffic comes the increased risk for accidents. And don't even get us started on texting and driving, eating cheeseburgers and driving, and bending down to pick up something that one of the kids dropped in the car. It's all distracted driving and can lead to big problems. These are just some of the reasons that we're in the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer right now, with a little more than three weeks to go until Labor Day.
Earlier this summer, 16-year old Slayton Willis died in Angelina County when the vehicle he was driving ran off the road. He wasn't texting, he wasn't under the influence, and the roads weren't wet or slick. And yet it happened. He was driving on FM 2021 in Redland when he went off the road, his SUV flipped, and he was thrown from the vehicle. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
Texas Monthly says 10 percent of the fatal accidents on US Highways happen in Texas. We don't bring this up so we'll all freak out and worry, but just to pass along the message from police that more fatal accidents tend to happen during the summer than any other time of the year. Be safe! We have a lot of fun things to look forward to this fall and we want you to be a big part of it.