We tend to think that most motor vehicle accidents occur most often during the wintertime, given the inclement weather. But that’s not necessarily true. Summertime comes along with increased traffic, which is a huge factor in increased rates of car accidents. More teenage drivers are on the road along with motorcyclists. The fatality rate for teen drivers, aged 16-19, is 4X higher than drivers aged 25 to 69 years old. It’s not just motor vehicle accidents that tend to increase during the summertime, either. Summertime comes with a spike in many other potentially injurious accidents…
When the weather gets nice, the amount of motorcycles on the road increases. When it comes to motorcycle accidents, drug/alcohol impairment, sleep deprivation or reckless driving account for approximately 50% of accidents. Although these are common causes of most motor vehicle accidents, motorcyclists have much less protection on the road and are 35X more vulnerable to more serious injuries or death than occupants of vehicles in an accident. 78% of accidents between motorcycles and cars are head-on collisions, which account for 56% of deaths.
42% of accidents between motorcycles and cars occur when a car makes a left-hand turn. They may misjudge the speed of an oncoming motorcycle coming through an intersection, or have a motorcyclist unsafely pass them on the left, causing a collision.
The fact that swimming accidents rise during the summer makes perfect sense, especially in New York and Long Island. We feel the brute force of every season on Long Island, so once summer comes, we’re ready to take advantage of the warm weather and cool off in the water. Younger children should always wear life vests. Continuous adult supervision around the water, whether it’s the pool, the ocean or a lake, is imperative in keeping young ones safe.
For the same reasons the rate of swimming accidents spikes during the summer, as do boating accidents. Boating is a lifestyle for many on Long Island. On average, 5,000 boating accidents occur in the U.S. every year, with 1,000 individuals dying as a result.
The playground becomes a lot more packed during the summertime. Because of that, kids sometimes fall or get into other accidents on the playground. Continuous adult supervision is imperative at the playground.
A report from the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSP) reported that approximately 8,800 people sought emergency room treatment for amusement park injuries in 2006. It’s also estimated that 4,400 children are hurt annually on amusement park rides. Approximately 93,000 children under the age of 18 were treated in emergency rooms for injuries incurred at amusement parks/traveling carnivals between 1990 and 2000.