We've entered the "100 Deadliest Days" for teen drivers, when traffic fatalities involving them surge between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Driving the news: The summer months come with a 30% increase in teen-related fatal car crashes, or around eight people per day.
That's up from seven per day the rest of the year, according to an AAA analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash data.
The big picture: New teen drivers — 16 and 17-year-olds — are close to three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than adults, per AAA.
Among the biggest risk factors:
Speeding is involved in around one-third of fatal teen crashes.
Distracted driving is involved in two-thirds of them, with teen passengers as the lead distraction, followed by cell phones. The risk of a deadly crash increases with each teen passenger, AAA said in a press release.
One way to reduce fatalities: Wear your seatbelt.
More than 40% of North Carolina drivers who died in car crashes in 2023 weren't wearing their seatbelts, though around 90% of North Carolinians wear their seatbelts, per Safe Travels NC.
