Campaign Aims To End Fatal Car Wrecks Among Teens

Today marks the launch of this year’s Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, a nationwide public awareness campaign aimed at preventing deadly car accidents involving young drivers. 

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers aged 16-20, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Summer is a particularly risky time period for fatal crashes. NHTSA statistics show that on average, 422 teens die in motor vehicle accidents during the summer months as opposed to 363 fatalities at other times of the year. 

In Kentucky, police records indicate that 16 percent of all collisions and 12 percent of all fatal collisions involve teenage drivers. For nearly a decade, Kentucky State Police has conducted a teen driving safety academy called “Drive to Stay Alive” in an effort to prevent the rising number of deaths among young drivers and passengers. 

During today’s start of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, which is sponsored by the National Organizations for Youth Safety, teens will rally in Washington, D.C. to sign pledges and learn about the dangers of distracted driving and impaired driving. Speakers will include U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt and Peter Kissinger, CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. 

Encouraging teenagers to drive with care is an essential part of saving lives on Kentucky roads. Motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death in the United States among all age groups. The most recent police statistics indicate that 736 people died in traffic collisions in Kentucky in 2010, and more than 37,000 were injured. 

One growing cause of motorist deaths – and particularly teen crash fatalities – is distracted driving. The plethora of technological devices available to teenagers, such as cell phones, iPods, BlackBerries and even the car CD player, can be a recipe for disaster by taking a young driver’s concentration from the road. Kentucky enacted a ban on texting behind the wheel in 2010. 

The consequences of fatal and injury-causing traffic accidents can be devastating for families. It is important to regularly educate your teen driver about the dangers of distracted driving to become part of the solution to the epidemic of tragic teenage accidents on U.S. roads.