It’s National Teen Driver Safety Week

This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week and AAA Washington's Jennifer Cook says that teen-involved crashes are one of the leading causes of death for teens.

"It's really important to make sure that parents really are aware of what they can do to prevent these tragedies."

Cook says other teen passengers is one of the biggest distractions and can increase the likelihood for an accident by at least 50 percent. She advises getting involved in your teen's driving life by making sure they are ready for other passengers, teaching them to drive in all weather conditions and only letting them drive by themselves when they've shown they are ready.

"We have state laws that say teens should have this many hours behind the wheel before driving by themselves, but really it's up to the parent. Decide how your teen is doing behind the wheel or how are their judgement skills or how's their reaction time. If they're not ready at that point, you make that call."

You can also model good behavior in your driving so they know how to act.