The summer calendar is moving quickly, and we’ve just passed the halfway point amid the 100 Deadliest Days for teen drivers – the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when fatal teen crashes increase dramatically. Across the country, 13,135 people have been killed in a crash involving a teen driver between 2019-2023. Over 30 percent of those deaths occurred during the 100 Deadliest Days, according to AAA’s review of crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA). On average, eight people are killed per day in teen-involved driving crashes in the summer, compared to seven per day during the rest of the year.

In 2023 alone, the most recent year of complete crash data, 2,897 people were killed in crashes involving a teen driver. A third of those deaths, 860, happened during the 100 Deadliest Days—a 21 percent increase from 2022. In New York, NHTSA reports 16 deaths in crashes with teen drivers during the 100 Deadliest Days in 2023 compared to 48 the rest of the year. New York State Police report a 13 percent increase in overall motor vehicle fatalities during the 100 Deadliest Days from 2023 to 2024.

Summer months are particularly dangerous as more young drivers hit the road as they make the most of their summer vacations from school.

“Young drivers in high school and college look forward to the summer season and await newfound freedom with a break from school,” said Mike Formanowicz, driver training manager at AAA Western and Central New York. “AAA urges parents to talk to their young drivers about traffic safety and serve as good role models as well.”

Formanowicz says parents should discuss the importance of buckling up, obeying speed limits, and putting phones away. With teens out of school, he says summer is also a great time for young drivers to complete a comprehensive driver education course to learn the rules of the road.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety also has new research highlighting the life-saving potential of smartphone-blocking technology. Parents should encourage teens to use “do not disturb” features on their phones to silence distractions while driving.

Due to their inexperience, teen drivers are at a higher risk of crashes. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Culture Index, about 72% of teen drivers aged 16-18 admitted to having engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors: 

• 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 seatbelt (17%)

Families can also make a parent-teen driving agreement setting family rules for driving.