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Teen Driver Safety Week

BURNSVILLE, Minn.--Congress has designated the week of October 15 as Teen Driver Safety Week. It’s a welcome focus on a vulnerable group of drivers who are at high risk on our roads.

America’s teens are dying in disproportionate numbers on our roadways. Hardly a week goes by without a horrific crash involving teens leading off the evening news or in the local sections of our newspapers. Teens represent 7 percent of drivers but are involved in 13 percent of all fatal crashes because they often are not prepared for the very real and potentially deadly risks they face on the roadway.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Minnesota teens. In fact, teenagers are killed more often on the road than any other age group. From 1999 to 2003, Minnesota traffic crashes took 236 teen lives — eclipsing the combined death total of the next four leading causes of death. The problem is worst among 16-year-olds, who have the least driving experience and who often engage in risk-taking behind the wheel.

Unfortunately, teens who make poor choices while driving often experience tragic outcomes because they are the least likely to buckle up. We need to help teens make safer choices and ultimately reduce the risk to Minnesota’s youngest drivers.

Statistics show that the top six driving risk factors for teens are:

• Failing to wear a seat belt - each year, 75 percent of teens killed in vehicles are not buckled up. Properly wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by approximately 50 percent.
• Distraction - text messaging, cell phones, eating, grooming and talking with other passengers increases the risk of being involved in a crash.
• Excessive speed - illegal/unsafe speed is the most common contributing factor in single vehicle crashes for drivers. Teens particularly have difficulty adjusting speed to driving conditions.
• Fatigue - a person who has been awake for 24 hours experiences impairment nearly equal to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 percent. Teens often don’t get enough sleep.
• Driving at night - mile for mile, 16- and 17-year-olds are about three times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash at night than during the day.
• Driving with other teens - the presence of teen passengers dramatically increases the risk of crashing.

We need to help teens become aware of the risks, choices and consequences they face on the road. Both the www.AAA.com and the www.minnesotasafetycouncil.org Web sites have resources available to help teens live to drive another day.

AAA offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to 50 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA Minnesota/Iowa is part of The Auto Club Group, with 4.1 million members in eight Midwest states.