A new report released from AAA announces alarming statistics as the “100 Deadliest Days” begin.

The time frame researches call the most deadly spans from Memorial Day to Labor Day, when the average number of deadly teen driver crashes climb 15 percent compared to the rest of the year.

Officials note more than 1,600 people were killed in crashes involving inexperienced teen drivers during the deadly period over the past five years.

Statistics show that new teen driver ages 16 to 17 years old are three times more likely than adults to be involved in a deadly crash. That’s according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s latest study, Rates of Motor Vehicle Crashes, Injuries and Deaths in Relation to Driver Age.

AAA East Central’s Director of Legislative Affairs and Safety, Theresa Podguski issued the following statement:

“Teen driving is risky business, and AAA urges parents to be actively involved in their teen’s learning to drive process.” She goes on to say, “parents should model good behavior while driving and also talk to their teen about distractions, speeding and wearing a safety belt.”

Researchers point to three factors most commonly resulting in deadly crashes for teen drivers; distraction, which plays a role in nearly six out of 10 teen crashes; not buckling up, where 60 percent of teen drivers killed in a crash in 2016 were not wearing a seat belt; and speeding, which is a factor in nearly 30 percent of fatal crashes involving teen drivers.

AAA notes there are a few things parents and guardians can do in an effort to keep roads safer this summer:

*Have conversations with their teens early and often about distraction and speeding

*Teach by example and minimize risky behavior when driving.

*Make a parent-teen driving agreement that sets family rules for teen drivers.

You can also find a variety of tools that will help prepare parents and teens for the driving season ahead by visiting TeenDriving.AAA.com and by checking out the StartSmart program.