AAA: Teenager-Involved Crashes Rise During Summer

The summer months are upon us and so are the '100 Deadliest Days,' the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day. 

During this part of the year, the number of teen crashes rises by 15 percent compared to the rest of the year. 

AAA advises the way to help prevent these crashes is to follow the speed limit, put the distractions away and buckle up.  

Alexis Wells, 17, is on her way to work, and she's also a brand new driver. 

"I've only had my license for about two weeks, and since then my parents haven't really seen me, they're like where you at," Wells said. 

AAA said teens are more distracted than ever on the road. 

"Usually, distracted driving is the always the tip of the iceberg. But it's like any cocktail deadly mix when you don't buckle up and you're speeding, it just further creates the situation that we don't want to occur," said AAA Public Relations Manager Mark Madeja. 

A video from AAA shows distracted teen drivers, repeatedly looking down and away from the road. 

AAA said drivers ages 16 to 17 are nine times likely as a driver 18 and older to be involved in a crash, and six times as likely as drivers 18 and older to be involved in a fatal crash. 

Wells said while she practices safe driving on a daily basis, everyone needs to be careful while on the road.

"I see so many people turn up their music, blasting loud hopping dancing, letting go of the wheel, and most of the time they're looking at the phone like this and five seconds later you see them look up," she said. 

"Driving is not a right, it's a privilege, and its got to be taken very very seriously because there are victims and there are consequences," Madeja said.