Milwaukee drivers are currently in the "100 Deadliest Days" on the road, according to AAA.
As more teenage drivers are let out of school and and onto the highways, there will unfortunately be more crashes.
A recent AAA survey found that new drivers, ages 16 and 17 years old, are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash.
The likelihood of a crash increases 15% between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Since 2012, during this time period, more than 1,600 people were killed in crashes involving an inexperienced teen driver.
The Arcade Driving School works on teaching young drivers on how to be smart on the roads and avoid being part of the problem for the "100 Deadliest Days". Arcade teachers, like Michael Brand, say it's because of the one-on-one lessons that give students the focus necessary to learn how to be a safe driver.
New drivers Chealse Budney and Mackenzie Stelpflug are 15 years old. They say they're feeling more comfortable behind the wheel thanks to Brand's lessons.
"[It's important to follow] directions and... to be confident in what you're doing, and know that you can do anything," Budney said.
Although teen crash stats are on the rise, AAA's Public Affairs Director Nick Jarmusz, says this doesn't mean teens or other drivers should stay off the road. In fact, everyone should do the opposite.
"Getting out of your home will help give your teen that experience that they need, so that when they encounter situations on their own, they will have, hopefully, encountered it already with you coaching them through how to handle it," Jarmusz said.
Even though he is not supposed to have favorite students, Brand says he is very proud of Stelpflud and Budney. Stelpflug says she makes sure to talk with her parents about her driving lessons and uses the tactics she learned driving with them.
"I... tell my parents what they need to be watching for in my driving so that they know what I should and shouldn't be doing," Stelpflug said.
It is crucial to teach young drivers that they are driving not only for themselves, but for others on the road.
"You can look, but not see..... So if you're not seeing, you're not [going to] be a very defensive driver. So to me that's be come almost more important than anything else I'm teaching," says Brand.
He also reminds parents, and other drivers on the roads, to be patient. These teenagers are learning and trying to gain more experience. It is best to give the students drivers space on the road and to remember that everyone has been a new driver at one point in time.
AAA says a few ways parents can keep their teens safe this summer is by talking early and often about distracted driving, the importance of seat belts, and speeding. It is best to lead by example, so minimize your own risky driving behavior, or make a set of family driving rules that everyone follows.
For more information, visit TeenDriving.AAA.com.
