Tips to keep teen drivers safe ahead of ’100 Deadliest Days’

“The last decade of crash data shows that teens continue to be over-represented in crashes and summertime marks an increase of fatal crashes for this age group,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Our data analysis has found that for every mile driven, new teen drivers ages 16-17 years old are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash compared to adults.”

AAA warns that this year could be even more dangerous for teen drivers with schools closed for in-person instruction, the vast majority of summer jobs canceled and coronavirus restrictions starting to be lifted, resulting in an increased number of teens on the road.

Due to inexperience and reckless nature, teen drivers are more likely to engage in dangerous driving habits than adults, with 72% of teen drivers admitting to participating in at least one dangerous driving behavior over the past month.

According to the new AAA Foundation Traffic Safety Culture Index: 47% of teens admitted to driving more than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on a residential street; 40% drove more than 15 miles per hour over the limit on the freeway; 35% texted while driving; 32% ran a red light, 31% reported aggressive driving; 25% reported drowsy driving; 17% admitted to not wearing a seatbelt.

AAA advises parents to speak with their children about the dangers of reckless, distracted and impaired driving, in addition to leading by example by driving safely themselves and conducting at least 50 hours of supervised driving with their teen.