These are the startling statistics that "Impact Teen Drivers" is trying to change. Education and awareness is the key to changing behavior.
- Teen driver crashes are the leading cause of death for our nation's youth. The overwhelming majority of these crashes are caused by inexperience or distractions, not "thrill-seeking" or deliberate risk-taking.
- In the National Young Driver Survey 20 percent of 11th grade drivers reported at least one crash over the past year, while nearly 3 percent experienced two or more crashes.
- In 2007, 4,946 13- to 19-year-old drivers died in crashes.
- Crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group. In the United States, 1 in 4 crash fatalities involve someone 16 to 24 years old, nearly twice as high as other age groups.
- The fatality rate for drivers ages 16 to 19, based on miles driven, is four times higher than for drivers ages 25 to 69.
- The crash fatality rate (crash fatalities/100,000 population) is highest for 16- to 17-year-olds within the first six months after licensure and remains high through age 24.
- Approximately two-thirds of teen passenger deaths (ages 13 to 19) occur when other teenagers are driving.
- Child passengers (under age 16) driven by teenagers (ages 16 to 19) have three times the risk of injury in a crash than children driven by adults. Overall, 9 percent of child fatalities occur with a driver under age 19.
- Older child passengers, ages 12 to 17, are more likely to die in a car crash than younger children. This risk increases with each teenage year. The top three predictors for fatality are nonuse of restraints, teen drivers and roads with speed limits of 45 mph or higher. (Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, March 2008)
Impact Teen Drivers:
The idea for Impact Teen Drivers was conceived by Jon Hamm, CEO for the California Association of Highway Patrolmen (CAHP), in response to the high frequency of crashes involving teens to which California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers respond.
CHP officers consistently report the worst part of their job is coming onto a scene where a young person has needlessly lost his or her life and subsequently having to ring a doorbell to tell parents that they will never again see their child alive.
The devastating impact of these fatal crashes on the teens involved, their families, communities, and the law enforcement officers who are first responders, motivated the CAHP to work with one of its long-time partners, California Casualty Management Group, and the California Teachers Association (CTA) to create a powerful intervention designed to alter these grim statistics.
In mid-2007, these three organizations formed a unique partnership to create the 501 (c)(3) charitable organization that is now known as Impact Teen Drivers. Impact Teen Drivers was organized for the purpose of providing awareness and education to teenagers, their parents, and community members about all facets of responsible driving, with the goal of reducing the number of injuries and deaths suffered by teen drivers as a result of distracted driving and poor decision making.
For more information about "driving while intexticated" go to www.deadlytexting.com
PSB Launches Site to Curb Teen Texting and Driving:
The distracted driving attorneys at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP are proud to announce the sponsorship of a website called DeadlyTexting.com which advocates against teens texting while they are behind the wheel.
Distracted driving can have devastating consequences, yet teens often think that they cannot be affected. DeadlyTexting.com aims to help further educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving and assist parents in initiating discussions with their teens.
To learn more about DeadlyTexting.com and how parents can help their children make the decision to NOT text and drive, please visit www.psblaw.com.
