LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
2012 has already been a particularly deadly year in the Las Vegas Valley for both drivers and pedestrians. Memorial Day marks the beginning of a deadly stretch of time for teens.
A spokesperson with UNLV's Safe Community Partnership said teens – especially in the carefree summer months – tend to focus on driving distractions such as makeup, cell phones and music rather than what's going on outside their vehicles.
Capri Barnes with UNLV's Safe Community Partnership knows what she's talking about. She lost her best friend in a crash.
"When I found out that she died I was hurt," she said. "When I found out that she died in a car accident I was angry. When I found out that she died in a car accident without wearing her seatbelt I was furious – not with the situation, but with her because my best friend controlled her own fate."
Barnes said the grieving process was horrific.
"Wearing your seatbelt is the difference between calling a coroner or a tow truck," Barnes continued. "It's so important that people realize that a seatbelt is one small strap of fabric that holds you to a car and connects you to the rest of the outside world."
Some of the key causes for accidents with teens are texting and drinking.
But despite the warnings, some teens says say young drivers just do the dangerous behaviors anyway.
" I don't think they realize that when they do it, they're putting everybody else at risk too," said El Dorado High School student Madison Ferstler. "It's kind of selfish in a way."
It's recommended teens get a minimum of 100 hours of supervised instruction behind the wheel in a variety of driving conditions before heading out themselves.
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