5 to Drive
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just launched the new “5 to Drive” campaign for teen drivers. The campaign encourages parents to discuss five different topics featured on www.safercar.gov/parents/teendriving. The five topics are:
1. No cell phone use or texting while driving,
2. No extra passengers,
3. No speeding,
4. No alcohol, and
5. No driving or riding without a seatbelt.
NHTSA data shows that car crashes are the number one cause of death for teenagers 14-18 years-old in the United States. The five topics also support evidence NHTSA has found such as : In 2011, over half of teen occupants of passenger vehicles who died in crashes were unrestrained; speeding was a factor in 35 percent of fatal crashes involving a teen driver; twelve percent of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were distracted at the time; and in 2011, 505 people nationwide died in crashes in which drivers between 14-18 years old had alcohol in their systems, despite the fact that all states have Zero Tolerance Laws for drinking and driving under the age of 21.
For more information on the campaign and teen driving, visit www.safercar.gov/parenst/fivetodrive.htm.
Protect your teen by discussing these topics with them. Be sure to have open conversations before they get behind the wheel.
Source: www.nhtsa.gov