Tennessee Works to Save Lives During National Teen Driver Safety Week

NASHVILLE – In 2009, nearly 100 families buried a teenager following a crash on a Tennessee roadway. October 17-24 is National Teen Driver Safety Week and the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Governor’s Highway Safety Office are continuing their efforts to save lives by educating teens about safe driving decisions. TDOT and the GHSO are also asking all Tennesseans to step up and talk to teens about important issues like wearing a safety belt, avoiding distracted driving and underage drinking. 

 

“Traffic crashes are still the leading cause of death for teens in America and it is up to all of us to work to reverse this trend,” said GHSO Director Kendell Poole. “Our employees and partners are in schools every week talking to teens about safe driving practices and these efforts are working, but it takes the entire community – parents, teachers, neighbors, friends and teens themselves – to promote safe driving and stop teen driving deaths.”

 

Over the last three years, Tennessee has reduced the number of teens killed in traffic crashes by 70. In 2007, 166 teens died on Tennessee roadways. That dropped to 113 in 2008 and preliminary statistics show a drop to 96 in 2009. Still, teenaged drivers are more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than any other age group. 

 

Several initiatives are underway to continue reducing the number of teens killed in highway crashes in Tennessee. TDOT’s Between the Barrels, theTennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association’s (TSSAA)Alcohol Awareness Program, the Thinkfast® Alcohol Awareness Interactive Game Show, Blake McMeans’ Alive to Tell the Story, the Ford Motor Company Fund’s Driving Skills for Life, and the annual Lead and Live Youth Conference are all projects aimed saving teen lives through education.

 

In recognition of teen safe driving week, students at the following schools will participate in these programs:

Between the Barrels:

Tuesday, October 19 – Hendersonville High School in Sumner County
Wednesday, October 20 – Hickman High School in Hickman County

Monday, October 18 – Sequoyah High School in Monroe County

Monday, October 18 – Spring Hill High School in Maury County

Wednesday, October 20 – Smyrna High School in Rutherford County

Thursday, October 21 – Gatlinburg High School in Sevier County

Friday, October 22 – Marshall County High School

Monday, October 18 - Beech High School in Sumner County

Tuesday, October 19 - Hendersonville High School in Sumner County

Thursday, October 21 - Coopertown Middle School in Robertson County

Friday, October 22 - Rucker Stewart Middle School in Sumner County  

 

TDOT and the GHSO remind teens that distracted driving can have deadly results. Never text, tweet or talk on a cell phone while driving. Texting while driving is against the law in Tennessee and using a cell phone while driving is a violation of Tennessee’s Graduated Driver License rules for teens. Teens should always avoid alcohol and parents should never promote underage drinking. It is against the law and comes with adult consequences. Teens should always wear a seat belt whether driving across town or around the block. It’s the best protection from injury or death in the event of a traffic crash and it’s the law in Tennessee. Wearing a seat belt costs nothing, but not wearing one could cost a life.

 

 

TDOT’s Between the Barrels delivers a powerful message about the importance of safe driving, especially in highway work zones, to tens of thousands of Tennessee high school students each year. Thinkfast® combats underage drinking and drug abuse through hundreds of events annually for high school and college students. TSSAA’s Stephen Bargatze uses magic to get the attention of the students and discuss highway safety issues with them, while Blake McMeans travels the state sharing his story with high school and college students about how drinking and driving changed his life forever. Ford’s Driving Skills for Life teaches newly licensed teens about hazard recognition, vehicle handling, speed management and space management and the Lead and Live Youth Conference is held annually to focus on numerous driver safety issues.

 

 

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