The “100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers is the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when fatal crashes involving teen drivers have historically increased.

Nationwide, more than 7,000 people died in crashes involving teen drivers from 2010 to 2019 during the time period, and this year, as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, more young drivers will be on the road.

“There are more daily deaths in crashes involving teen drivers during the summer months than the rest of the year, because teens tend to have more unstructured time behind the wheel,” said Theresa Podguski, director of Legislative Affairs for AAA East Central. “Parents can help by encouraging teens to stay focused when driving, buckling up for every ride, and driving within posted speed limits.”

AAA has found that for every mile driven, new teen drivers ages 16 to 17 years old are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash compared to adults. This is largely due to their inexperience, and their likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors. According to the AAA Foundation Traffic Safety Culture Index, about 72% of teen drivers aged 16 to 18 admitted to having engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors in the past 30 days:

• Driving 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street (47%)

• Driving 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway (40%)

• Texting (35%)

• Red-light running (32%)

• Aggressive driving (31%)

• Drowsy driving (25%)

• Driving without a seat belt (17%)

To keep roads safer this summer, AAA encourages parents to:

• Talk with teens early and often about abstaining from dangerous behavior behind the wheel, such as speeding, impairment and distracted driving.

• Teach by example, and minimize risky behavior when driving.

• Establish a parent-teen driving agreement that sets family rules for teen drivers.

• Conduct at least 65 hours of supervised practice driving with their teen.

To support parents in conducting practice driving sessions, AAA provides a free four-page guide to help parents coach their teens on how to drive safely. The “Coaching Your New Driver - An In-Car Guide for Parents” AAA ParentCoachingGuide offers behind-the-wheel lesson plans, including a variety of “DOs and DON’Ts” to make the learning experience as helpful as possible. For parents, the guide can be beneficial as they coach their teens on a variety of routes, building on their formal behind-the-wheel training.

AAA has a variety of tools to help prepare parents and teens for the dangerous summer driving season. The online AAA StartSmart Parent Session offers excellent resources for parents on how to become effective in-car coaches as well as advice on how to manage their teen’s overall driving privileges. Teens preparing for the responsibility of driving should enroll in a driver education program that teaches how to avoid driver distraction and other safety skills.