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AAA Unveils CD-ROM To Fight High Teen Driver Crash Rate

21 July 1997

AAA Unveils CD-ROM To Fight High Teen Driver Crash Rate

    ORLANDO, Fla., July 21 -- To combat teen-age motor vehicle
fatalities -- the leading cause of death for young people -- AAA today
introduced a new CD-ROM program to help parents provide supervised driving
experience for novice drivers.
    AAA's program -- "Teaching Your Teen to Drive:  A Partnership for
Survival" -- is designed to help parents and teens work together during the
critical first months and years on the road.
    "Parents need to take an active role in helping young drivers get the
training and experience they need," said Mark L. Edwards, managing director,
AAA Traffic Safety.  "Supervised behind-the-wheel experience is the key to
developing the habits and skills that can lead to a lifetime of safe driving."
    AAA is concerned about young driver safety because motor vehicle crashes
are the leading cause of death among young people and are a bigger threat than
drug abuse, homicide or AIDS.  Teen-age drivers account for only 7 percent of
the driving population but are involved in nearly 20 percent of all crashes
and 14 percent of all fatal crashes.
    AAA introduced a video-based Teaching Your Teen To Drive program last year
and has added the CD-ROM to further capture the attention of the burgeoning
video/computer generation.  In addition to either the live action video or the
CD-ROM, the program includes a colorfully illustrated handbook and a
parent/teen contract that clearly defines teen driver privileges and
responsibilities.
    "Parents are in a unique position to show their children proper driving
skills and to teach them to make proper driving choices," said Edwards.
"Parents should not allow their young drivers unrestricted driving privileges
until they have gained experience in the safest on-road environment possible."
    The Teaching Your Teens to Drive program is available from most AAA clubs
or can be ordered by calling 800-327-3444, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,
EDT.  The price is $24.95 for AAA members and $27.95 for non-members.
    AAA is a not-for-profit federation of 99 clubs with more than
1,000 offices providing more than 39 million members in the U.S. and Canada
with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.

SOURCE  American Automobile Association