TDOT & THP Partner to Keep Teens “Between the Barrels” at Coopertown Middle School

NASHVILLE- The Tennessee Department of Transportation is working to keep teen drivers safe and will travel to Coopertown Middle School in Robertson County, Monday, December 13 to present “Between the Barrels” to 150 students. “Between the Barrels” is an interactive safe driving program geared toward teen students just learning to drive. The goal of the program is to save lives by educating teens on the importance of always practicing safe driving habits, especially in highway work zones. TDOT will be joined by representatives from the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

 

WHO:              TDOT 
                         Tennessee Highway Patrol

WHAT:           “Between the Barrels” Presentation

WHEN:           9:15 a.m., Monday, December 13, 2010

WHERE:         Coopertown Middle School, Robertson County

During the 2008-09 academic year, the successful TDOT “Between the Barrels” program reached students in more than 90 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 2008, 113 teens died in traffic crashes in Tennessee, down from 166 in 2007. Preliminary numbers show 96 teen deaths in traffic crashes in 2009. Already, at least 78 teens have died in traffic crashes in 2010. 

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

 

For more information on the Between the Barrels program visit www.tn.gov/tdot/wzsafety.

 

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For more information:

B.J. Doughty

TDOT Reg. 3 Community Relations Officer

Office 615.350.4302

Mobile 615.714.8556