October 19, 2009

Attorney General Corbett supports teen driver safety
 
HARRISBURG - The federal government reports that the leading cause of death among 15-20 year olds is motor vehicle crashes. Distracted driving, including riding with multiple friends, texting, and playing with music devices is a significant contributor to these fatal car crashes.

This sobering news has led Attorney General Tom Corbett, Congress and The Century Council to promote greater driver safety among teenage drivers by dedicating the week of October 18th as National Teen Driver Safety Week.

A key component of this driver safety effort is educating young drivers on the dangers of distracted driving.

"Regardless of how invincible teenagers may feel, the reality is that they are still human and can die in car crashes," Corbett said. "We know that young drivers are distracted by cell phones, texting, loud music and eating and drinking food."

"Drivers under age 20 represent the largest portion of distracted drivers on the road," Corbett said. "Sixteen percent of all fatal crashes involved young drivers who were reported to have been driving while distracted according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration."

There were 6,428 fatal traffic crashes involving teen drivers in 2008, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB states that although teens make up less than seven percent of the driving population, they account for more than 13 percent of the drivers involved in accidents.

The NTSB also reports that 16-year-old drivers are involved in twice as many crashes as older drivers, and two-thirds of the passengers killed in crashes involving young drivers are teenagers themselves.

The Century Council, a non-profit, has launched an educational website, www.centurycouncil.org/, dedicated to teaching teens about the importance of safe driving habits.

"It is our hope that through educational programs such as national Teen Driver Safety Week, we can convince teenagers to put their full attention into operating their vehicle safely," Corbett said.

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