MAINE, USA — Six in 10 car crashes by teenage drivers resulting in death happen because of a distracted driver, and according to AAA, having just one other teenager in the car increases the risk of a fatal crash by 44%.
Because school is out and traffic is heavier, AAA calls the weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day the most dangerous time of the year for teenagers to be on the road.
If you're the parent of a new driver, there's a new app that can help keep your teens safe. It's called Life360, and it lets parents see where their kids are, how fast they're going, even whether they're driving while on the phone.
Max Arbour is a 16-year-old upcoming Windham High junior. His mom uses the app.
"She can see where I am at all times, so it's not really a good thing," he said, laughing.
While Arbour doesn't love his mom's ability to always know his whereabouts, he understands that she's just trying to keep him safe.
"I usually tell her where I'm going before I go anywhere," Arbour said.
Pat Moody with AAA Northern New England said he recommends the app to parents, not only so they can see their kids driving habits, but to make sure they aren't the ones distracting their teens.
"Distracted driving has now rivaled impaired driving," Moody said.
Moody said between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the U.S. averages about 17 car crash deaths per day, and according to AAA research, having just one other person under the age of 21 in the car with a teen driver increases the risk of death by 44%. That doubles if there are two passengers under 21 and quadruples if there are three passengers younger than 21.
Having an adult older than 35 in the car actually decreases the risk of death by 62%, he said.
"For mom and dad, it's about being a great role model. They've been watching you since they were very young, they didn't just start watching you in the last couple of years learning to drive," Mood said.
Teens get a lot of their driving habits from their parents, he said, but also, "when it comes to teen driving, it's about experience."