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Many Teenagers Still Shun Seat Belts and Drink and Drive

9 May 2000

SADD, Liberty Mutual Survey Reveals Many Teenagers Still Shun Seat Belts and Drink and Drive, With Fatal Results
              With Graduation and Summer Approaching, Teens Face
                       Most Dangerous Time of the Year

    BOSTON, May 9 A new national survey reveals that 77
percent of teenagers speed when driving, 39 percent of young drivers never
wear seat belts or wear them only occasionally, and 21 percent of teens drive
vehicles after drinking.
    This information is the result of a new survey of 700 young people and 400
parents of teenagers by SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions/Students
Against Driving Drunk) and the Liberty Mutual Group.  It indicates that many
young people continue to put themselves at great risk by failing to wear seat
belts, speeding and driving after drinking.
    With the approach of graduation and summer - the most dangerous period for
young drivers - now is the time to act, says Stephen G. Wallace, SADD National
chairman and CEO.  "More teens die in motor vehicle accidents in June, July
and August than during other seasons of the year," Wallace said.
    "These findings about seat belts, speeding and driving under the influence
tell us why motor vehicle crashes are the number-one killer of young people in
the United States," said John Conners, executive vice president and manager of
Liberty Mutual's personal insurance operations.
    "For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports
that 64 percent of the teens who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 1998
were not wearing seat belts," Conners said.  "In addition, more than a third
of the teenagers involved in fatal crashes were speeding.  Yet almost 40
percent of the teens we talked to still tempt fate by refusing to buckle up.
Clearly, we must do a better job of educating young people about the tragic
results of unsafe driving behaviors.  The key is frank discussion of these
issues by parents and teens."
    Wallace suggested teen driving fatalities peak in the summer because young
people have more unstructured time then, and more opportunities to drive.
It's also a time when parents often relax their vigilance over their teens'
activities.  Combine these factors with young drivers' immaturity and
inexperience and the result is summertime driving situations that can turn
deadly in an instant.
    SADD and Liberty Mutual believe young people can avoid disaster this
summer with the help of parents and friends.
    "Our research also indicates that teens care about their friends' well
being," said Liberty Mutual's Conners.  "This is a real opportunity for teens
to support each other, and we encourage them to enter into a pact among
themselves where they agree not to drive after drinking or ride with an
impaired driver, or let their friends take these risks."
    To help families talk about driving safety, SADD and Liberty Mutual urge
parents and teens to sign the SADD Contract for Life, a reciprocal pact in
which teens pledge never to ride with a driver who is impaired, while parents
agree to provide safe transportation home if their teens are ever in an unsafe
situation and to wait to discuss what happened until it can be done calmly.
    They also should watch the 15-minute video, "Avoiding Collisions:  How To
Survive The Teenage Driving Years."  This driving safety program covers the
four major issues surrounding teen crashes:  speeding, night driving, safety
belts, and alcohol and drugs.
    SADD and Liberty Mutual gathered information on teen driving habits as
part of their Teens Today partnership.  The nonprofit organization and the
insurer plan to annually study teen and parent behaviors and attitudes on
important safety issues, using the data to find out what's happening in young
people's lives - and why.
    "SADD and Liberty Mutual have long shared a commitment to keeping young
people alive and safe," said Wallace.  "The data we gather each year will
allow us to further explore solutions to problems associated with teen use of
alcohol and drugs, as well as driving issues."