subject: National Teen Driver Safety Week [print this page] National Teen Driver Safety Week National Teen Driver Safety Week
Driving has become a major rite of passage in the modern world. It marks a transition stage for teenagers on their way to responsible car ownership; for teens, this is one major step towards independence, where they no longer have to rely on adults to get around.
This makes teen driver safety very important. Based on research by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle accidents are the primary cause of death in adolescents. Teen drivers ages 16 to 19 years old are four times more likely to be involved in fatal car crashes than adult drivers ages 25 to 69, resulting to more than 5,000 teens killed in the road every year. In response to the growing rate of road casualties that involve teenagers, the congress introduced in 2007 a legislation for the formation of the National Teen Driver Safety Week.
The National Teen Driver Safety Week is held every year on the third week of October. During this weeklong event, activities, programs, and campaigns on responsible driving are implemented by state and local officials across the country.
This nationwide event seeks to raise awareness of teen deaths on the road and get cooperation from teen drivers, their parents, schools, and communities to become involved in training and raising responsible teen drivers. Parental involvement and modeling is very important in the process of learning to drive thats why the NTDSW calls for parents to supervise and practice with their teenagers behind the wheel, and to model responsible and safety driving practices.
Also part of the NTDSWs advocacy is the prevention of distracted driving. Research conducted by the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia revealed that while teens are aware of the dangers of drunk (and drugged) driving, they tend to underestimate the dangers that come with distracted driving. Distracted driving include using mobile phones while on the steering wheel, fatigued driving, speeding, and driver behaviors such as driving with multiple teen passengers. The research concluded that most of vehicular accidents that involve teenagers are caused by inexperience and driver error.
Other programs promoted during this weeklong affair include the peer-to-peer campaign for teen driver safety called Ride Like a Friend, Drive Like You Care, and the Graduate Drivers License, a program proven to reduce teen driving fatalities by 20 to 40 percent. GDL educates drivers to higher crash risk situations and arms them with knowledge on how to reduce risks such as nighttime driving, distracted driving, and driving when fatigued.
The 2011 National Teen Driver Safety Week runs from October 16 to 22. Teen drivers and their parents are encouraged to take part in the weeklong event by participating in its activities, programs, and campaigns for safe driving practices.
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