The National Safety Council, a nonprofit research organization, found that the summer season is the most deadly time of year of teen drivers.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data compiled by the nonprofit group, between Memorial Day and Labor Day in 2012, roughly 1,000 people died in car crashes that involved a teen driver. More than 550 of those killed were teens.

CNN reported that one of the reasons the 100 days of summer is deadliest for teen drivers is because more teens are driving recreationally rather than purposefully. With the teens out for the summer and not driving to and from their high schools every day, many drive to various hangout spots such as the beach, lake and river or go down roads they've never driven down before.

The biggest reason for the threat, however, according to the study, is that teens are driving more often than not with their friends in the vehicle, which can sometimes be a distraction for the new drivers, said John Ulczycki, the National Safety Council's vice president of strategic initiatives.

"We have always known that passengers were a big risk for teens, but what we're really finding out now is passengers may be one of the most important risks for teens, even more so than things like texting," Ulczycki said.

He added that a passenger in the vehicle is a constant distraction whereas a text takes up seconds or minutes.

According to the safety council, the risk of a teen driver having a fatal crash increases by at least 44 percent when a passenger is in the vehicle.

Ulczycki said parents are usually aware of the risks of texting while driving, but many don't realize that a passenger riding with their new teen driver is also a considerable risk.

"It's tragic that parents don't really appreciate the risks of passengers," Ulczycki said.

CNN reported that many states already have laws prohibiting a certain number of passengers new teen drivers are allowed to drive with while some states prohibit teen drivers from having a passenger with them at all for the first six months or year of having their license.

Robert Foss, senior research scientist at the Highway Safety Research Center and director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers, said in a news release that 43 states don't allow new drivers to have more than one young passenger in the car with them.

Another study by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center found that loud conversations and goofing around between passengers were more dangerous for teen drivers than the use of technology while driving.

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