The annual — and unfortunate — countdown began on Memorial Day. That’s the start of what’s known as the “100 Deadliest Days;” the beginning  of the summer driving period when teenage drivers are on the road more than any other time of the year.

An average of 1,022 people die each year in crashes involving teen drivers, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, and crashes with teen drivers increase significantly during the summer months. Officials note that more than 5,000 people have been killed in crashes involving teen drivers during the “100 Deadliest Days” over the past five years.

A new study from the AAA Foundation points to some of the factors why the summer driving season has become so deadly. Simply put: it’s distracted drivers. The study, part of an eight-year research project, analyzed the moments leading up to a crash in more than 2,200 videos captured from in-car dash cameras.

The top three distractions for teens behind the wheel:

Talking or attending to other passengers in the vehicle (15 percent of crashes);

Talking, texting or using a cell phone (12 percent); and

Attending to or looking at something inside the vehicle (11 percent).

The study also found that teens were more likely to be texting or looking down at their phone rather than talking on it.

The AAA is encouraging parents to talk to their teens about the dangers of distracted driving (more info can be found at TeenDriving.AAA.com).

One of the best lessons, of course, is to teach by example. Please, put down the phone and drive.