Texting, talking on phone, and speeding.
They are all characteristics of teen drivers, and characteristics that could kill them.
Chattanooga traffic engineer John Van Winkle thinks teens and their parents should be warned that teen driver fatality rates are jumping and that Tennessee tied with Indiana as the deadliest state for the first half of 2012.
"There are risks and they could have a very unfortunate outcome if they have a collision," said Van Winkle.
The data collected by the Governors Highway Safety Association was only on teens that were drivers in the crash that killed them.
Officials have not released data on the specifics of each crash yet so it's hard for driving instructors like Roger Thompson to pinpoint exactly why 2012 was such a bad year for teen drivers compared to the past.
"My guess is after the initial introduction of the graduated licence and campaign for seat belts and some other things that we begin to say well that's old news and how do we deal with the challenges of today," said Thompson.
The Governors Highway Safety Association notes that early driver education is key.
"The reality is, yea, that practice period is critical and then to go through and give them a sense of confidence that they can operate a moving car," Thompson said.
Though Chattanooga offers new driver training courses, they are not mandatory to getting a licence, and many programs have been pulled from public schools.
