Officials warn of teen driving dangers during '100 Deadliest Days'

Now that school is out for most students in the region, officials from AAA are urging caution on the part of teen drivers during a time period it refers to as "The 100 Deadliest Days" of the year.

“Traffic crashes remain one of the leading causes of death for U.S. teens between the ages of 16 and 19,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Morgan Dean. “Teens often have a lot of unstructured time in the summer, but don’t have the experience and skills of older drivers. Those factors can often lead to deadly consequences on the road.”

The 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day witnessed nearly 6,700 deaths in teen driver-related crashes between 2013 and 2022 – nearly half the total number of deaths from all teen driver-related crashes during those years. In 2022, 707 people were killed in teen driver crashes – a 10% increase from 2019.

“Parents remain the best line of defense to keep everyone safe behind the wheel,” said Michael Belcuore, manager for driver education for AAA Club Alliance. “It’s never too soon for parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of distracted driving, speeding, and alcohol and marijuana impairment. But, and this is an important but, they also need to model good driving behavior themselves.”

Those include staying focused while driving, buckling up, not texting or using a phone while driving, and driving within speed limits, among other actions.