LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- As school let’s out for the summer, AAA is stressing the importance of talking to your teenagers about driving safety.
They said they are seeing more crashes involving teen drivers between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend. They call it the '100 Deadliest Days.'
In 2016, AAA said more than 1,050 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers in the summer.
To put that in perspective for you, that’s about 10 people per day.
AAA said this is a traffic safety concern.
They are encouraging parents to prepare and educate your teen drivers for some of the most dangerous driving days of the year.
Their research shows that young drivers are at greater risk and have higher crash rates compared to more experienced, older drivers on the road.
Officials said through some proper training, parents can help young drivers be safer behind the wheel, which in return keeps everyone on the roads safer.
Officials said the major factors contributing to these deadly crashes are speeding and driving at night.
About 35% of all the deadly car crashed happened between 9 P.M. and 5 A.M. And in about a third of all cases, speeding was a factor.
The number of passengers in the vehicle can also be a major distraction.
Other factors include just simply wearing a seat belt or putting your phone down while driving.
AAA said parents need to teach by example showing their teen drivers safe ways to drive.
They said set rules for your kids, for example, on what time they need to be home by or how many friends they are allowed to have in the car.
Make sure your kids text you when they arrived at their destination and don’t call or text them when you know they are driving.
