Houston, TX ER Physician Advises Texans to Avoid Becoming Casualties During '100 deadliest days' of Summer
Dr. Shelise Edwards says that with more Texas families on the road this summer, there is an increased risk of distraction leading to more accidents and death.
HOUSTON, June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The days of summer – warm, sunny and beautiful, and a great time to hit the road. After a year spent mostly indoors, experts say they expect more Texas families to hit the road this summer but they warn it is also one of the deadliest times of the year.
In the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a period experts call the "100 deadliest days," SignatureCare Emergency Center locations throughout Texas see a spike in the number of auto accidents, and deaths, compared to the rest of the year.
Dr. Shelise Edwards, SignatureCare Emergency Center's Texas Reginal Director, said it does not have to be so.
The board-certified emergency room physician said this week that the key to combating this yearly epidemic is to educate the public on ways to minimize auto accidents and death.
"During that period of time, there (is) a spike in the number of deaths from people traveling on the road. …It's a time that we really try to improve education and provide tips to the population in order to try to help minimize road deaths — minimize as many as we can," she said.
She said that because more families are on the road in the summer, opportunities for distractions increase, leading to more accidents.
"With more people on the road as a family, you're driving as a family, there's an increased risk of being distracted as well," she said.
Dr. Edwards said some of these distractions include talking on the phone, texting, and trying to deal with younger children while driving.
"While some of these distractions are unavoidable, families can avoid talking and texting while driving. Just doing that alone will go a long way towards lowering the number of accidents, and deaths on the roads this summer," she said.
She urged families to take breaks during longer trips to avoid fatigue, avoid driving under the influence, and ensure children up to 8 years old are in child safety seats as required by the State of Texas.
Teenagers lead the nation in summertime accidents. Dr. Edwards attributed that to lack of driving experience, and distractions.
"They have so many distractions that weren't present 30 years ago when teenagers were learning to drive," Edwards said.
Edwards said that with more public awareness, she hopes Texas families can have a safer summer.
About SignatureCare Emergency Center
Houston, TX based SignatureCare Emergency Center owns 24-hour emergency centers throughout Texas including nine locations in the Houston area (Montrose, Houston Heights, Cypress/FM 1960, Copperfield, Memorial City, Westchase, Bellaire, Mission Bend/Sugar Land and Stafford), Atascocita/Humble, Killeen, Austin, College Station/Bryan, Paris, Midland, Odessa, Texarkana, Spring, Plano and Lewisville, TX.
Additional information is on our website at https://ercare24.com.
Media Contact
Felix Ofiwe, SignatureCare Emergency Center, 832-699-3777, [email protected]
SOURCE Dr. Shelise Edwards
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