AAA has named the time period between Memorial Day and Labor Day as The Deadliest 100 Days for teen drivers across the United States.

During the summer months, the average number of vehicle-related deaths for teens increases about 17%.

Don Redman, spokesman for AAA Louisiana says each year, roughly 700 deaths come from teen drivers being at the source of a crash during this time frame.

He tells News 10 there are three main factors behind the crashes.

The first one: Speeding.

“We have young drivers. They’re the ones that are most likely to take risks, but don’t have the experience to back up those risks. And so when you add speeding to a relatively novice driver, that usually ends up with deadly consequences,” said Redman.

The second leading factor: Impaired driving– particularly alcohol.

“Even though they’re not of age to be consuming alcohol, they are, nevertheless, getting their hands on it and that’s playing a significant role in the number of fatalities,” explained Redman.

Lastly: Distracted driving.

“This is one of those areas that has been largely underreported. We found 6 out of 10 crashes involving a teen driver, involve some form of distraction,” He adds, “The number one source of distraction are other teen passengers.”
 

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