The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Teaching Teens to Drive


teen girl

SCOTTSDALE, AZ, May 31, 2011 -- This summer, American Traffic Solutions has teamed up with Scottsdale's Driving MBA Driver Training School to increase awareness about the importance of safe driving among teens. ATS is working with Driving MBA to enhance materials in high school driver's education programs to include information about ways to safely approach an intersection and the dangerous consequences of red-light running.

Red-light running collisions pose the greatest risk of injury and death for motorists, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which says 10 percent of red-light runners involved in fatal crashes in 2009 were teenagers.

Mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety.

"Many teens are inexperienced drivers, and it's our responsibility as instructors and educators to deliver programs and knowledge that build confidence behind the wheel and ultimately increase safety," said Maria Wojtczak, founder of Driving MBA.

The danger increases during the summer months, when school is out and more teens are on the road. From May through August, the number of teens who die on the nation's roads practically doubles to nearly 16 a day compared with a yearly average of nine a day.

ATS and Driving MBA have created informational driver training education materials that are available at Teen Driver Ed where they can be viewed and used to educate teens on the dangers of red-light running and show solutions on how to make life safer and easier on the road ahead.

ATS is eager to team up with Driving MBA to promote safe driving habits to teens.  ATS President and CEO James Tuton, who has teenage children of his own said, "Summer might be one of the best times of year for teens, but it can also be the most deadly. Red-light running collisions are 100 percent preventable and with training and education we can teach our teens safe driving habits."

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds, with more than 5,000 young drivers being killed on the roads each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Here in Arizona, the state's nearly 21,000 teen drivers were responsible for 13,884 car crashes in 2009, resulting in 53 fatalities and more than 4,400 injuries, the Arizona Department of Transportation states.

About American Traffic Solutions:

ATS is proud to be the market leader in road safety camera installations in North America. ATS has more than 2,600 installed red-light and speed safety cameras serving more than 30 million people. ATS is the largest road safety camera program service provider in North America with awards or contracts with nearly 300 local jurisdictions in 21 states and DC., including: Fort Worth, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Memphis, Nassau County (N.Y.), New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle, St. Louis and more. ATS also offers PlatePass, an automated electronic toll payment service that enables rental vehicle customers to use high-speed, cashless electronic toll lanes.