We Are Halfway Through the 100 Deadliest Days for Teens

By The Cagle Law Firm | July 28, 2025 | Car Accidents, Drunk Driving, Featured, Inattentiveness

As a parent, thinking about your teen driving generally brings about anxiety and worry.   Driving a car is one of the riskiest activities we do daily, so turning the keys over to your teen can feel terrifying.  Maybe your teen has exhibited excellent driving skills and responsibility,  but you still worry about other motorists.   Navigating traffic in the greater metro area can be challenging for the most experienced driver, let alone a beginner driver.  The time period between Memorial Day and Labor Day are known as the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” due to the sharp increase in fatal crashes involving teen drivers.  While we have done many teen driver safety awareness articles,  this summer season hits a little more personal for The Cagle Law Firm. Our work family has a couple of teen drivers currently navigating St. Louis traffic.  You may think your teen is not listening, but actually, the stats seem to indicate your teen does hear you. More importantly, they observe.  Sometimes, the idea of your teen being in a motor vehicle incident is simply too overwhelming to think about.  We do not claim to be parental experts. We do know crash safety data and legal consequence of car accidents.

There were 2,514 people killed in crashes involving a teen driver (15-18 years of age) in 2022.

Why Is Time Period Considered More Dangerous?

There are several reasons teen fatalities increase during the 100 Deadliest Days:

School is out.  Teens spend more time behind the wheel when not in school including recreation and summer jobs

Inexperience of Teen Drivers. Teenage drivers are almost three times more likely as older driver to get into a car crash. This statistic provide by the NHTSA-National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Distracted Driving accounts for 60 percent of teen crashes

Speeding–Thirty-five percent of males, age 15-20 speeding resulting in fatal crashes in 2022 vs. female drivers, same age group with 17 percent.  Speeding can be inherently dangerous but especially for inexperienced drivers.

Drunk driving.  The national drinking age is 21, still some teens drink and drive.  In 2022, 30 percent of young drivers 15-20 years of age were killed in crashes with a BAC of .01 or higher

Distracted Driving

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, nearly 60 percent of teen crashes involve distractions behind the wheel.  Let’s be reasonable, few adults can stand to be separated from their phone and the same goes for teens.  Make sure your teen is using “hands free” operations for their phone.  Of course, as of January 1, 2025, any driver can be given a citation for holding a phone while driving in the state of Missouri.  In August 2023, the Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law was passed prohibiting drivers from holding or supporting a cell phone while driving including texting, writing or reading text-based messages.  None of us should be holding our phone, texting or reading messages while we are driving.  At this point in technology,  you can use your phone for verbal directions so that you do not even need to touch your phone.  Adults, ages 20-29 have the highest incident of distracted driving, followed closely by those ages 30-39.

Inexperience

Teen drivers are by nature inexperienced. Every parent naturally worries about their teen drivers.  As a parent, one hopes they have taught safety and more importantly, demonstrated responsible driver safety. Parents wonder if they have provided enough guided practice to ensure their teen is properly prepared.  Safety experts say that the driver behaviors parents demonstrate throughout their child’s life is one of the biggest factors for teen driver safety. In other words, teens pay attention to how their parent drive.  Most schools no longer are able to provided free driver’s education courses, thus parents are responsible for teaching their teen or engaging a professional training course.

Multiple passengers in a teen’s vehicle can increase a teen’s likelihood of being in a crash.  Forty-three states have laws that restrict the number of passengers in a teens vehicle. In studies, more passengers in a teen vehicle can increase the frequency of distraction and horseplay.

Speeding

Speed limits on roadways are in place to reduce the likelihood of crashes.  Drivers that speed have less reaction time and the impact can be more severe.  Thus, speeding is especially unsafe for teens due to limited time behind the wheel.

Seat Belts

Wearing a seat belt is mandatory in Missouri. Yet, Missourians still have lower seat belt usage rates compared to other states. This is something we can address personally and as a rule in our family. Again, using a seat belt reduces front seat passenger’s risk of fatality by 45 percent.  It is even higher for back seat passengers.

Impaired Driving

No driver should ever get behind the wheel when impaired.  Impaired driving at any age is unacceptable.  All 50 states have a no tolerance policy for underage drinking and driving.  Energy drinks, cold shower and coffee are not good remedies to sober up any driver, let alone a teen driver.  Since teens cannot consume alcohol legally, a citation of impaired driving under age is a much bigger deal regarding risk.  As well, insurance premiums for drivers with a citation of impaired driving are almost impossible.  However, up to 10% of teens report drinking and driving which translates to about 2.4 million instances of teens driving under the influence.  In a CBS report of 2015, up to 30 percent of teens said they had accepted a ride from a drunk driver within the past year. We can all agree, this is too many. Both studies spanning several years relied mostly on teens self-reporting.

According to the CBS study, said that 90% of teens said they would be willing to talk with friends about the risks of riding with a drunk driver, in advance or in the face of the situation. And 70% percent feel that speaking up against riding with a drunk driver would not harm their relationships with other kids. These numbers are encouraging.

Responsibility and Increasing Safety for Teens

Every driver has a personal responsibility to follow the rules of the roadway. Research by safety experts say that as a parent, you actually have a lot of influence over your teen’s driving.  Granted, during the teen years, it can feel as if you have no influence over your teen. However, safety experts have found that teens most often replicate the driving behaviors of their parents and actually do hear when you talk to them about safely operating a vehicle.

Tips for Parents:

• Talk to your teen.  Explain the seriousness of the 100 Deadliest Days and make sure that your teen understands the issue with too many passengers, distracted driving and rules of the roadway.
• Model good driving behavior.  Kids do what you do, not what you say to do. Teach them to be good drivers by demonstrating safe driving
• Require Seatbelt Use. Again, if you have modeled wearing a seat belt, it may just be a habit for your teen.  The CDC reports that seat belts reduce the risk of death by 45 percent
• Consider defensive driving course for your teen. Since schools do not really offer driver’s education anymore, teaching your teen or involving them in safety courses is highly recommended.

Reasons Your Teen May Listen

Due to economic factors, you usually have the control of driving privileges for your teen.  Most of the time, teens only have a vehicle to drive based upon the parent’s economic support in buying a car, insuring it, and fueling the vehicle. Those economic factors often make your teen more responsive to your advice than you would think.  Driving is a privilege for each of us verses a right.  The beauty of being a teen is the feeling of invincibility–maybe you can remember it?  Teens do not always think about the permanent consequences of minor decisions.  Yet, car accidents can have devastating permanent life consequences.  If you haven’t talked about this with your teen, you should.  You might find them more grounded than you thought.

Teens want to be successful drivers. Driving brings independence which is the goal for most teens.  Since they want to successfully drive, your influence is higher than you would think.  As with so many other stages of life navigation, the example you set is the most influential.

Experts recommend that you get involved by monitor their driving.  Invest in the learning -to-drive process and take the lead on addressing speeding.  Experts also recommend that you not couple a new car with a new driver’s license.  Studies have shown that teens are more likely to speed in their “own car” verses the family sedan.  Granted, each parent has to make those decisions based on multiple factors of their teen. Those include the teen’s maturity level, attention to driving safely and adherence to rules.  At The Cagle Law Firm, we absolutely do not try to tell you how to parent.  As parents of teen drivers, we are looking for all the help and guidance we can consume.

Car Accidents in St. Louis

If your teen or any family members have been involved in a motor vehicle crash, you should consult a lawyer. Just because your teen was in an accident, it does not necessarily mean they were at fault. Like any other driver, their driving behaviors and how the crash occurred is all that is relevant. If your teen is injured, then you do want a lawyer. Unfortunately, an insurance adjuster for another driver will view the crash from the prospective that your teen is novice driver.  When it comes to you or your family members, protecting your right to compensation is critical.

Experienced Car Accident Lawyers

We are not parenting experts, but we are legal experts.  If your teen is hurt in a car accident, you want only the best medical care and legal representation.  As parents, our attorneys understand that priority. Achieving the best possible physical and financial outcome is our priority for every client.

Call us toll free 1.800.685.3302 or locally 314.276.1681

About The Author

The Cagle Law Firm

View all posts by The Cagle Law Firm →