Why Is Drunk Driving Such A Serious Summer Safety Concern?

Car crashes can occur at any time of day, on any day of the year and on any road across New Jersey. Collisions happen for all kinds of reasons, including alcohol impairment. Drunk drivers cause a significant number of the deadly and injurious collisions that occur in New Jersey every year.

While you should watch for drunk drivers every time you get behind the wheel, your risk for a drunk driving crash is higher in the summer than in other seasons. There will likely be more police officers monitoring traffic and even more sobriety roadblocks to try to deter drunk driving and catch impaired drivers before they cause crashes.

Still, hundreds of people will get hurt or die in drunk driving wrecks before autumn arrives. Why are there more alcohol-impaired drivers on the roads in the summer in New Jersey?

Holidays and vacations lead to parties

People tend to socialize more when the weather is better and they can gather in outdoor spaces comfortably. There are also multiple holidays that bring three-day weekends during the summer months.

Memorial Day, labor day, the 4th of July and even Juneteenth are holidays that people mark with outdoor parties and barbecues, often featuring alcohol. Those having a small vacation in the state with their family may also be more likely to overindulge while at the beach or at an amusement park and then drive home afterward. Vacations and celebrations contribute a lot to your summertime crash risk.

Teen drivers are more present on the roads

The roughly 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day every summer are the deadliest days on the road for teenagers.

New Jersey teens are more likely to be out driving during the summer because they don’t have school obligations. They could potentially be on their way home from a party at 9:00 in the morning on a Tuesday and still drunk. The increased freedom that young adults have during the summer months leads to an increased risk of experimenting with alcohol and causing a crash.

Recognizing that your risk of encountering a drunk driver goes up during the summer can help you stay safer on the road and take the right steps after a crash caused by alcohol.