Summer is every teen’s favorite season. From outdoor parties to beach trips with friends, there are many opportunities for new drivers to hit the road. Unfortunately, that also means more chances for a motor vehicle crash. New teen drivers ages 16-17 years old are three times as likely as adults to be involved in a deadly crash, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

These alarming findings come as the “100 Deadliest Days” begin, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when deadly teen driver crashes climb by an average of 15 percent compared with other times of the year. Over the past five years, more than 1,600 people were killed in crashes involving inexperienced teen drivers during this deadly period.

“Statistics show that teen crashes spike during the summer months because teens are out of school and on the road,” said Dr. David Yang, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety executive director. “This new research shows that inexperience paired with greater exposure on the road could create a deadly combination for teen drivers.”

AAA urges parents to help reduce the number of deadly crashes on the road by getting more involved.

“Parents are the front line of defense for keeping teens safe this summer,” said AAA Western and Central New York Public Relations Director Elizabeth Carey. “It all starts with educating teens about safety on the road and modeling good behavior, like staying off your cell phone and buckling your seat belt.”

AAA encourages parents to:

• Have conversations with their teen early and often about the dangers associated with distracted driving and speeding.
• Teach by example and minimize risky behavior when driving and always buckle up.
• Create a parent-teen driving agreement that sets driving rules and consequences.

TeenDriving.AAA.com has a variety of tools to help prepare parents and teens for the dangerous summer driving season. The online AAA StartSmart program also offers great 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.