It is National Teen Driver Safety Week and officials are giving out some tips to teens and parents about how to stay safe on the road.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. Per mile driven, teens are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. Over the past three years in Kentucky, there were more than 44,000 crashes involving a teenage driver, resulting in more than 13,000 injuries and 211 deaths.
So, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is joining in efforts to spread knowledge and awareness this week, and they urge teenaged drivers to avoid distracted driving—especially involving a cellphone—wear your seat belts, take extra caution while driving with passengers, make sure to obey the speed limit, never drive impaired and if you’re feeling tired or drowsy, don’t get behind the wheel.
KYTC Secretary Jim Gray says, “Because they are new to driving, teen drivers are a potential danger to themselves and to other road users. Laws are not enough to protect these young drivers. We need parents to set the rules before handing over the car keys. We also need parents to set a good example when they are behind the wheel.”