How a car accident lawyer can help after a crash involving a teen driver
Summer is supposed to be a time of freedom. Road trips, late-night drives, windows down, music loud. But behind that sense of adventure lies a much more sobering reality. For teen drivers, summer isn’t just the season of fun. It’s the deadliest time to be on the road.
Between 2019 and 2023, more than 13,000 people were killed in crashes involving a teen driver. A staggering one-third of those deaths happened between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a stretch AAA has coined the “100 Deadliest Days.” In the summer months, an average of eight people lose their lives every single day in car accidents involving teens. That’s one more per day than during the rest of the year. While that might sound like a small increase, it adds up to hundreds of lives lost and families forever changed.
In 2023 alone, nearly 2,900 people died in crashes involving a teen driver. Of those, 860 lives were lost in just that 100-day stretch of summer.
Why is summer so dangerous for teen drivers? And what can be done about it?
When school lets out, teens are suddenly given something that’s both powerful and dangerous: freedom. Without the structure of daily classes and after-school commitments, many young drivers find themselves behind the wheel more often and with far less supervision.
They’re driving to jobs, meeting up with friends, heading to parties or the beach, staying out later, and covering longer distances. Often, they’re doing all of this without an experienced adult in the car. Add in increased traffic from vacationers, packed highways, and the general chaos of summer travel, and the risks multiply quickly.
There's also the role of peer pressure. Teens are far more likely to take risks when their friends are in the car. One passenger doubles a teen’s risk of a fatal crash. Two or more passengers increase the risk by a factor of four.
Additionally, many teens haven’t been driving for more than a year or two. They may feel comfortable behind the wheel, but they haven’t faced everything yet, including rainy nights, heavy traffic, and unexpected hazards. That mix of inexperience and overconfidence can be deadly.
Why should we raise awareness about the “100 Deadliest Days"?
The 100 Deadliest Days is the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when fatal crashes involving teen drivers spike. The name is not meant to scare people, but to alert them to the dangers. These are not random tragedies. They are predictable. And if something is predictable, it can be prevented.
Every summer, the data paints the same grim picture. There are more teen drivers on the road, more distractions, and more fatalities. During this window, many teens push the limits. Whether it’s speeding, texting, or driving under the influence, summer offers more opportunities to make a critical mistake.
The key is recognizing this danger and taking action before summer begins.
What can parents and teens do starting now?
Parents play an important role in ensuring their teens' safety. Here are some key things they can do to help prevent teen crashes this summer:
- Lead by example: The way you drive becomes your teen’s first driving lesson, whether you mean it to or not. If you speed, they’re more likely to speed. If you check your phone at stoplights, they’ll think it’s okay to glance at theirs.
- Have conversations, but not just one: Make it a regular part of your check-ins. Talk about buckling up, speed limits, and how one second of distraction can lead to a lifetime of regret.
- Use a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement: AAA offers a great template that outlines expectations, such as no texting, no passengers, and no nighttime driving without permission. It also sets clear consequences.
- Don’t let summer go to waste: It’s a perfect time for teens to gain more supervised practice. Drive with them in various weather conditions, different traffic situations, and at night. If they haven’t taken a formal driver’s ed course yet, now’s the time.
How does distracted driving affect teen safety?
Phones are a lifeline for teens, but when that phone is within reach while driving, it becomes a serious threat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 9 percent of fatal crashes involve distraction. The real number is likely much higher because distractions often go unreported. No one is going to admit they were on TikTok just before a crash.
Distractions don’t just come from texting. Music, GPS changes, voice memos, passengers, and even food can pull attention away from the road. Drivers might think they're just glancing at a notification, but their brain is already split. That split-second can be fatal.
How can technology be the solution, not just the problem?
The very thing distracting teens can also be used to protect them. Most smartphones now come equipped with a “Do Not Disturb While Driving” feature. When turned on, it blocks notifications, silences alerts, and sends auto-replies to texts. Best of all, it can be set to activate automatically when the phone detects motion while driving.
The common misconception is that it disables navigation or music. It doesn’t. Teens can still use maps and playlists, just not apps like Snapchat or TikTok, while they’re driving.
What happens when teens actually use Do Not Disturb?
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety sought to determine the effectiveness of education. They conducted a study with drivers aged 18 to 24 years old. For five weeks, participants continued to drive as usual. Then, they received training on the “Do Not Disturb” feature and were instructed to keep it on for an additional five weeks. The results were eye-opening:
- Before training, half didn’t know the feature existed.
- Eighty-five percent didn’t know how to use it.
- Sixty-five percent didn’t know it could turn on automatically.
- After the training, every single participant knew how to use it. Most importantly, they used their phones less while driving.
There was also a 41 percent drop in smartphone interactions while driving, and participants were 6 percent less likely to pick up the phone altogether. Their opinions about the feature didn’t change, but their behavior did.
Injured in a crash involving a teen driver? Get the legal help you deserve.
If you or your teen was hurt in a car accident in Nashville, don’t try to deal with the aftermath alone. The legal process can be confusing, insurance companies can be aggressive, and your rights could slip through the cracks without the right support.
The Law Office of Eric Beasley knows how overwhelming this time can be for families. No matter how your crash happened, our legal team will step in and fight for the full compensation you’re entitled to under Tennessee law. We've recovered millions for our clients, and we understand what it takes to get meaningful results.
We handle car accident cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case. Contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation to learn how an experienced Nashville car accident attorney can fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.
"Eric Beasley was fantastic throughout the entire process. He is extremely knowledgeable and efficient. I had to fill out a few forms, and he took care of the rest! The best experience during my injury case." — Brenda W., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐