Focus Areas

Teen Drivers

That new driver’s license is really something — including a huge responsibility.

NATIONAL DISTRACTED DRIVING AWARENESS MONTH

Between 2012-2018, distracted driving killed 23,000 people in the U.S. Teenagers are especially at risk of distracted driving – in fact, reckless and distracted driving is the #1 killer of teenagers in America.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, two times that we can draw attention to the serious, year-round problem of distracted and reckless driving.

Our education partner, Impact Teen Drivers, develops evidence-based education to save lives, prevent crashes, and ultimately to stop reckless and distracted driving. They have put together a social media kit to help leaders in local communities get the word out about responsible driving. We encourage you to share it on your PTA’s social media accounts, newsletter, and meetings.

Impact Teen Drivers also offers some great learning resources for parents, including information on the Graduated Drivers License (GDL) program, and a parent-teen webinar series from April 15-27, 2020 called “What do You Consider Lethal?”

A Preventable Public-Safety Issue

But don’t just take our word for it. Check out these statistics from Impact Teen Drivers:

  • The driver fatality rate for 16-year-old drivers is nine times the rate for drivers 30 to 60 years old
  • One in three teen drivers has an accident in their first year of driving
  • Teenagers make up 7 percent of licensed drivers but suffer 14 percent of fatalities
  • A 16-year-old soccer player has had about 1,500 hours of coached soccer practice, but only 50 hours of driving practice before getting a license
  • There is no in-car driver training in the high school systems of 25 states, including California.

And one more fact: Teen driver crashes are the leading cause of death for our nation’s youth. The overwhelming majority of these crashes are caused by inexperience or distractions, not “thrill-seeking” or deliberate risk-taking.

Get Educated on Safe Driving

Impact Teen Drivers offers numerous resources to help promote safe driving at home, in the classroom — and, ultimately, on the road! Check out their many materials to use with your child, at your school and in the community, and see California PTA’s resolution on safe teen driving.

OTHER GREAT TEEN DRIVING RESOURCES