May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month

May 7, 2009

Parents should remind their teens of safe driving habits and insist they follow them

With spring in the air, teenagers will be out in force during this year’s season of proms, graduation parties, and outdoor activities. Unfortunately, this youthful exuberance can also lead to traffic crashes with tragic consequences.

In designating May as National Youth Traffic Safety Month, law enforcement and traffic safety officials are urging parents to remind their teens of safe driving habits and insist they follow them.

Last year, 34 teen drivers and 20 teen passengers were killed in Wisconsin traffic crashes. Approximately 5,600 teens were injured. On average, a motorist age 19 or under is killed or injured in a traffic crash every hour in Wisconsin.

“Compared with other age groups, a disproportionately higher number of teens are involved in traffic crashes,” says Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. “Teens generally are inexperienced drivers, and they tend to take unnecessary risks, such as speeding and driving while distracted. They also are the least likely to buckle up while driving or riding in a vehicle. The combination of inexperience, risk taking and not buckling up is a major reason why traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for young people nationwide.”

Parents can help protect their teenagers by taking an active role in their driving behavior. Here are some simple suggestions:

• Develop and maintain a teen-parent driving agreement or contract that requires consistent seat belt use, prohibits cell phone use — especially texting — while driving, and limits the number of passengers.
• Be a positive role model for your children — always buckle up, observe speed limits, pay attention at all times, and never drive while impaired.
• Educate your teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. Wisconsin has an absolute sobriety law, which means no amount of alcohol is allowed for drivers under age 21.

For more information contact:
Dennis Hughes, Bureau of Transportation Safety 
(608) 267-9075, dennis.hughes@dot.wi.gov