As summer starts, teen car crash fatalities increase throughout the summer months and driving while distracted remains the cause for teen crashes and fatalities. This summer and beyond, make sure to stay off your phone while driving.

According to a report by the AAA Foundation for traffic safety, teen crash rates are higher than any other age group, and since they are driving more in the summer it is important to be mindful on the road. The study also found 66 percent of people killed and 67 percent of people injured in crashes involving a teen driver were other than the teens themselves by analyzing data from police reports from drivers aged 15-19 from 1994-2013.

Teens behind the wheel are distracted by their phones as one in four teens say they text and drive and two thirds of  teens admit to using apps while driving according to a report by Zack Hedrick of News 4 San Antonio. The teenagers learned these habits from their parents and practice them in their own cars. These habits are dangerous, Hedrick’s report calling the day after Memorial Day the start of the 100 Deadliest Days for teens.

There are those who believe they are still alert even while on their phones. They are not as the fractions of a second where their eyes are off the road can cause fatal accidents. Simply placing your  cellphone in the  glove box or in a bag in the backseat can turn the tide of distracted driving. A text or a snap are not worth your life or some one else’s.