The holidays are a dangerous time for teen drivers to be on the road, but Tucson is one of the safer teen-driving communities, according to the Allstate Insurance Co.
Arizona ranks 14th in the country for most teen-driving fatalities. On a city-by-city basis, Flagstaff and Prescott were much more dangerous than Phoenix, but they were all worse than Tucson, which ranked 276th in the nation, according to federal crash data and U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
The most dangerous city for teen drivers between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day is Tampa, Fla., and the safest is Salt Lake City.
Teens from all over the country should use extra caution over the holidays. We know there are higher crash risks for all drivers when the weather gets bad, not to mention when people are busy shopping and going to parties and family events. Local law enforcement sets up more DUI checkpoints during the holidays because it's a riskier time to be driving.
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Teenagers have less driving experience, and even if they're being safe, we all remember our parents telling us they were worried about all the other drivers on the road, too.
Tucson's teen-driver crash rate at the holidays shows Tucson teens are safer between Christmas and New Year's, but that doesn't mean the whole holiday season doesn't deserve extra caution. In fact, it's probably a good reminder for all of us that this is the time of year to be especially careful.
Free bus rides Thursday
This Thursday is Christmas and Sun Tran's gift to the community is free bus rides all day. The buses will operate on a Sunday schedule, which for most routes means fewer hours and less-frequent stops. Buses will be on a regular schedule Wednesday and Friday.
Sun Tran will also offer free shuttle service to the Tucson Convention Center for the Salvation Army's annual Christmas dinner from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The shuttle stops at the South Tucson City Hall at 1601 S. Sixth Ave. and the Ronstadt Transit Center at 215 E. Congress St.
The shuttles will run every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m.
Not home for the holidays
AAA estimates 63.9 million Americans will travel this Christmas and New Year's holidays. That's a 2 percent drop from last year, and it's the first drop in holiday travel since 2002, AAA says.
Even with a reduction, it's still a lot of people at the airports and even more people on the roads. Approximately 83 percent of Western travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations, and most of them will leave home before Christmas Eve, according to AAA data.
Only 10 percent of travelers surveyed plan to leave on Thursday, the auto club says.
Road Q
Question: "Driving north on Columbus, I found the lighted street sign at the Fifth Street intersection was so faded that I couldn't read it until I was passing beneath the sign. I've lived in Tucson for fifteen years but the darkness disoriented me and made me need to determine my location. During daytime driving, I've noticed numerous severely faded lighted street signs. Does the city plan to replace the faded signs?" wrote Paul Morton Ganeles.
Answer: The city put in a work request for the sign Ganeles mentions, but when it is replaced it will not be replaced with the lighted signs. The city is switching to a new sign, and phasing out the old lighted ones as needed, said Michael Graham, spokesman for the Tucson Department of Transportation.
Road Runner
Andrea Kelly
