TOWSON, Md. — Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens.
With it being National Teen Driver Safety Week, AAA is encouraging parents to talk to their teens about the importance of safe driving.
The week is observed from Oct.15- Oct.21.
More than 3,000 teens died in car crashes back in 2021. AAA officials say parents can be the biggest influence on their children, so they do not die behind the wheel.
Marc Urbanas ,18, has been driving for about a year and a half. He says it was a great feeling when he got his driver’s license.
“It’s definitely a very freeing feeling to be able to get on the road and be able to do stuff with friends," said Urbanas.
Urbanas says when he was learning how to drive his parents emphasized the importance of staying focused.
"A lot of people, they’ll be talking while they’re driving, listening to a podcast. Maybe even texting, which is the worst thing you can do. I think the most important thing you can do is always being focused fully on the road," said Urbanas.
Ragina Ali is a spokeswoman is for AAA Mid-Atlantic. She says it’s crucial for parents to be engaged in their teens driving.
“They want to create a parent and teen driver agreement with their young driver, so their teen understands what the expectations are and what a huge responsibility and privilege it is to be a driver on Maryland roads," said Ali.
According to the MVA, more than 13,000 young drivers are involved in police reported crashes every year. Ali says one thing teens can do is limit the amount of young people in the car.
“We see unfortunately time and time again where there are multiple people killed in a crash and that can be an added distraction," said Ali.
For Urbanas, he says he got into one accident because he did not properly look at the lane turning signs. He says he learned a valuable lesson.
“And that taught me, you always have to double check because you may have a gut feeling, this is how this intersection works, this is how that light means, what that traffic sign means, but you always have to double check and be safe," said Urbanas.
There is some encouraging news.
According to a recent report from the Governor Highway Safety Association, young driver fatal crashes fell 38 percent since 2002.
So, there’s more work that needs to be done, but progress is being made.
