How To Stay Safe During Minnesota’s ‘100 Deadliest Days Of The Year’

You might not be surprised to hear that some times of year are more dangerous than others in Minnesota.

Your instinct might be to think that Minnesota's brutal winter season, combined with the associated dangerous driving conditions, might be the most dangerous time of year in the state.

While it makes sense, it turns out that's not actually the most dangerous or deadly time of year.

What are Minnesota's deadliest 1oo days of the year?

According to the National Road Safety Foundation, the 100 deadliest days of the year span between Memorial Day and Labor Day each summer.

How is the heart of summertime the most deadly time of year? The NRSF cites data from the CDC and AAA that says these summertime days see a sharp increase in fatal crashes, particularly with teen drivers.

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During this 100-day period, teen drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash.

Why are these days the deadliest of the year?

The NRSF points to several factors that make this such a deadly time of year.

Among them, school is out, and teen drivers are spending more time behind the wheel. The additional driving time for these less-experienced drivers increases the chances of driving mistakes being made by a young, inexperienced driver.

Inexperience does make a difference. NRSF cites data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that says teen drivers are almost three times more likely to get in a car accident than a more experienced driver.

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Further impacting this is the issue of distracted driving. Six out of every 10 teen crashes are attributed to distracted driving. While phone usage while driving is the most obvious driving distraction, having multiple passengers, eating/drinking while driving, or other activities while behind the wheel are all forms of distracted driving.

Speed is another contributing factor. Among fatal car accidents involving drivers aged 15-20 in 2022, the easy-to-avoid danger of speeding was a factor in the deaths of 35% of male drivers and 17% of female drivers involved.

Finally, driving under the influence is a factor. Despite the legal age to consume either alcohol or recreational marijuana products in Minnesota being 21, there are still some who drive impaired. While there isn't data related to recently legalized marijuana consumption in Minnesota, 30% of young drivers nationally between the ages of 15 and 20 who were killed in a car crash had alcohol in their system.

While the NRSG highlights these dangers for young drivers, several of them are still equally dangerous for adults and more experienced drivers.

What can be done to reduce the risk?

The most obvious thing is for all drivers (whether a teen or not) to avoid the risky behaviors above. Regardless of age, all of those factors increase the risk of accidents and deaths from those accidents.

Taking things a step further, parents should work with their young drivers to make sure they understand the seriousness of the risks of those behaviors and to help instill safe driving habits.