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Teen driving safety emphasized
October 17, 2011
editor@montanaliving.com
Helena, MT – Young people are our future. That’s why the 2009 Montana Legislature set aside the third Tuesday in October as teen driver safety day. The goal is to increase public awareness and promote teen driver safety.
“All Montanans are encouraged to participate in special observances and exercises throughout the state on this day in order to educate teens about the fatal consequences of distractions while driving and to promote teen driver safety,” according to Section 1-1-229, Montana Code Annotated.
Montana teen drivers are overrepresented in traffic crashes. In 2010, for every thousand licensed drivers in Montana, 102 drivers under the age of 21 are involved in crashes, compared to 35 for all other ages. The heartbreaking results of distracted driving are due to many causes—from texting and talking on a cell phone, to eating, and playing with a radio, CD player, or MP3 device.
Parents, mentors, and friends can help.
Set a good example. Always buckle up, drive only when sober, and don’t use a cell phone while driving.
Educate. Keep talking. Discuss what you see on the road as a way to engage teens in conversations about safe driving.
Drive by the rules, keep the privilege. Safe driving contracts are used by many parents -- discuss and agree to the terms ahead of time, then enforce consequences for violations. A variety of sample contracts are readily available on the internet.
In 2009, more than 3,214 teens ages 15 through 19 died in vehicle crashes of all types. And 594 (18%) of those fatal crashes involved distracted driving. In 2009, 691 people across the nation were killed in crashes involving a distracted teen driver. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.
While no one is exempt from the impact of distracting devices brought into a vehicle, teens are especially susceptible. A survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project reported that nearly half of the teens interviewed had ridden in a vehicle with a driver who texted. A third of the teens surveyed said they’d texted themselves while driving.
For more information on teen driving safety, please visit www.distraction.gov, opi.mt.gov, http://www.mdt.mt.gov/safety/distracted_driving.shtml or http://buckleup.mt.gov/teens.shtml.
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