NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — We have now entered the time of year when driving fatalities are on the rise.

The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is known as the 100 Deadliest Days, which is seen as a deadly time on roadways, especially for young drivers.

In North Dakota, the state Department of Transportation notes there is an increase in fatalities, in summer months.

But an official from the DOT has a few tips to help keep you safe on the roads this summer.

“The number one thing you can do is buckle up. It is our best defense in a vehicle crash. You could be doing everything right, but if you’re not buckled up and you get into a crash, it could end deadly. So buckling up and making sure that your passengers and children are buckled up as well, following posted speed limits, driving sober and distraction-free, and also driving carefully through construction zones,” said Lauren Wahlman, the safety public information program manager of the NDDOT.

Wahlman says the deadliest month of all, is actually July. She says over the last five years in North Dakota, there have been 71 fatalities in that month alone.