With the passing of Memorial Day weekend, teens now face the 100 deadliest days of driving this year. The school year comes to an end, summer begins and traffic fatalities sky rocket through June, July and August. Why?

One reason is simple: there are more teen drivers (aka novice drivers) on the road. In fact, one of the greatest dangers to teen drivers is other teen drivers. One way to avoid collisions with other teens is to take extra caution when driving through the usual hangouts, especially the mall.

Having multiple passengers can also increase a teen driver’s crash risk. The combination of multiple conversations, phone usage and loud music is common, and all this commotion in a confined space can easily lead to distracted driving accidents. As the driver, a smart teen should make it a priority to get everyone from point A to point B without crashing or getting pulled over. That will earn much more peer respect than driving distracted, carelessly or recklessly and putting everyone in danger.

Another common cause of summer traffic fatalities is alcohol. Not only must teen drivers steer clear of drinking while driving, they must also steer clear of other drivers under the influence. By avoiding alcohol-prone areas such as bar districts and party spots, teen drivers can manage to make it through the summer without an alcohol-related accident.

Since traffic fatalities are a leading cause of teen death, and fatality rates are 3X as high during the summer months, it is important for teen drivers to take these tips to heart.