New teen drivers, that's drivers ages 16 and 17, are three-times as likely as adults to be involved in a deadly crash, according to a new report by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
NewsChannel 5 went to Brentwood Driver Training, to see how instructors are curbing this trend.
"We will have about 2,000 teenage driving student this summer," said Brentwood Driver Training's Jeremy Lyon.
The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is known as "100 deadliest days." During this time, the average number of deadly crashes climbs 15 percent compared to the rest of the year.
"Yesterday was my first day [at driving school]. This is my second day," said 14-year old student Aiden Plored.
Plored is using a driving simulator to learn the basics before ever entering a road.
That's a good thing, since fatal teen crashes are on the rise. Nationwide, the number of fatal crashes involving teens increased more than 10 percent, according to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2015 crash data.
It comes as no surprise that distraction plays a big role in about six out of every 10 teen crashes, many involving a smart phone.
"Probably 20-years-ago before texting was an issue, it was hardly mentioned or maybe 5 percent of our program. Getting [teens] to not text and drive and leave their phones alone in general is probably about 40 percent now," said Lyon.
Speeding and not buckling-up are also major factors in these deadly wrecks.
Driving instructors said setting a good example is key.
"Parents need to know they're being watched," said Lyon.
TeenDriving.AAA.com has a variety of tools to help prepare parents and teens for the dangerous summer driving season.
