While teens often operate under the maxim, the more the merrier when they’re driving around, crash reports indicate that it may be the case of the more the deadlier. And driving at night only adds to the deadly consequences for teen motorists.

According to a number of national studies, the presence of teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. The risk increases significantly with the number of passengers. When there are multiple passengers in the vehicle, the crash risk is three to five times greater than when driving alone. According to the studies, passenger presence is associated with increased crash risk for both male and female teen drivers and the risk is greater for younger teens age 16 and 17 than for older teen drivers.

Indeed, about two-thirds of crash deaths of teens nationwide that involve 16-year-old drivers occur when the beginners were driving with teen passengers, studies show.

What makes matters worse is young drivers who carry passengers commit more driver errors than all other drivers combined. Whether it’s because of the distraction of having other young people in the car or the added peer pressure to take risks while driving, teenagers commit more violations with passengers in the car, violations that often lead to crashes.

Another contributing factor to those crashes is the time of day teens drive. Studies show that driving on weekends and driving at night are significant risk issues. In fact, four out of 10 teenage deaths in motor vehicles occur between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Nighttime driving restrictions in graduated driver license laws typically are associated with crash reductions of 40 to 60 percent during the restricted hours, studies show.