Full Notification

“5 to Drive”
National Teen Driver Safety Week – October 20-26, 2013

Talk It Out With Your Teens – Set the Rules Before They Hit the Road!

WHY?
• Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of 14- to 18-year-olds in America.
• In 2011, 2,105 teen drivers were involved in fatal crashes. Almost half (45%) of those teens drivers died in those crashes.
• A recent survey shows that only 25 percent of parents have had a serious talk with their kids about the key components of safe driving.
• You’ve been protecting your kids their entire lives. So now, you’re going to hand them the keys to a 2-ton machine and not set the rules? No way!
• You are the parent, they are the children, and they still have a lot to learn. You can teach them. And you may just help save their lives.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
• Parents – please join “5 to Drive” – the new National Teen Driver Safety Week campaign to help you “Set the Rules Before They Hit the Road.”
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and its many highway safety partners across the country are encouraging you to get the facts and start the conversations—this week and every week—to talk it out with your teens and help keep them safe behind the wheel.
• Even if you think they don’t hear you, they do. Remember, the “5 to Drive” – Set the Rules Before They Hit the Road.
• Talk to them again, and again, and again.
“5 to Drive” – Set the Rules Before Your Teens Hit the Road!
1. No Cell Phones While Driving - Teens texting or dialing while driving have proven to be recipes for disaster. In 2011, 270 people were killed in crashes involving distracted teen drivers. REMEMBER, One Text or Call Could Wreck It All.
2. No Extra Passengers - Research shows that the risk of a fatal crash goes up in direct relation to the number of teens in the car. The likelihood of teen drivers engaging in risky behavior when traveling with multiple passengers increased to three times. REMEMBER: No extra passengers in the car.
3. No Speeding - In 2011, speeding was a factor for 35 percent of the fatal crashes of teen drivers. REMEMBER, Stop Speeding Before It Stops You.
4. No Alcohol - Although all States have zero-tolerance laws for drinking and driving under 21, 505 people died in crashes in which 14- to 18-year-old drivers had alcohol in their systems. Nationally in 2011, 27 percent of teen drivers killed had some level of alcohol in their systems. Parents should show zero tolerance for any sign of impaired driving. Teens need to hear it again and again: REMEMBER, No Drinking and Driving.
5. No Driving or Riding Without a Seat Belt - Teenage belt use is not what it should be. In 2011, over half of the teen occupants who died in passenger vehicles were unrestrained. Teens, and all adults for that matter, need to buckle up every trip, every time, day and night, no matter the distance. REMEMBER, Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time – Front-Seat and Back.
Parents Remember—the “5 to Drive”
• Get the facts and start your conversations during National Teen Driver Safety Week, Oct. 20-26, 2013, but keep them going each and every week to help save the lives of your teens and others on the road.
• Teens learn from parents and model their behavior after them – including driving behavior
• Novice drivers rarely crash while adults are supervising their driving. But unfortunately, the first six months of unsupervised driving are the most hazardous for novice drivers.
• Parents and teens must work together to learn, practice and commit to safe and lawful driving behaviors.
• Talk It Out With Your Teens – Set the Rules Before They Hit the Road.
• For more information about National Teen Driver Safety Week and the new “5 to Drive” campaign, please visit www.safercar.gov/parents/teendriving.htm.