Between the Barrels Visits Pearl Cohn High School

NASHVILLE--- State Senator Thelma Harper will join the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), Monday, November 23, 2009, in delivering the “Between the Barrels” presentation to 400 high school students at Pearl Cohn High School in Nashville. The safe driving program, which is geared to students who are just learning to drive, aims to reduce the chances of teens being involved in a dangerous work zone crash.

 

As part of the presentation, Captain Tony Barham will stress teen driver safety and the importance of the Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move over or slow down when passing emergency vehicles on the roadway. 

 

WHO:              TDOT, THP Safety Education & Nashville State Senator Thelma Harper  

WHAT:            “Between the Barrels” Presentation

WHEN:             9:00 a.m., Monday, November 23, 2009

WHERE:           Pearl Cohn High School, Davidson County

Since the 2008-09 academic year, the successful TDOT “Between the Barrels” program has reached than students in more than 100 schools with the compelling visual message—“When it comes to driving, there’s no such thing as beginner’s luck.”

 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car crashes are the leading cause of fatalities among teens in the United States. Nationally, teen drivers (ages 13-19) are at a four times greater risk for crashes than older adults and are involved in 15 percent of fatal crashes, but make up 6.7 percent of the total driving population.

 

In 2007, there were 189 teen drivers involved in 179 fatal crashes in Tennessee resulting in 193 deaths. In 2008, this figure decreased to 137 teen drivers involved in 132 fatal crashes resulting in 149 deaths. In 2008, statistics indicate a 32 percent decline in teen fatalities from 166 in 2007 to 113 teenagers who lost their lives on Tennessee roadways last year. As of November 18, 2009, preliminary statistics indicate 75 teenagers have been killed on Tennessee roadways compared to 100 at this same time a year ago.

For more information on Teen Driver Safety visit http://tn.gov/safety/pubsafety/teendriversafety.html.