National Teen Driver Safety Week
October 14-20 is National Teen Driver Safety Week, a week to raise awareness of the tremendous risks teens confront on the roads. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), within the U.S. Department of Transportation, invites you to join the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, State Farm Insurance, and other partners across the country to remind teens about the risks of the road and to think twice before driving distracted.
Why we recognize teen driver safety week:
Despite the fact that 32 states plus the District of Columbia have passed legislation outlawing all cell phone use by novice drivers, and 44 states have banned texting while driving by novice drivers, research shows that drivers under the age of 25 are two-to-three times more likely than older divers to send text messages or emails while driving. In 2010, 11 percent of all drivers under the age of 20 who were involved in fatal crashes were reported as being distracted at the time of the crash.
NHTSA’s Drive by the Rules. Keep the Privilege. campaign was created to strongly remind teens of highway safety laws, to encourage safe driving practices, and to help inform parents and friends of ways they can help their teens be safer drivers. For more information on teen driving safety campagins, visit: http://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/teens
Additionally, NHTSA encourages teens and adults to take and keep the distracted driving pledge, a campaign to help end distracted driving and encourage individuals to drive phone-free.
Distracted driving kills and injures thousands of people each year. By taking this pledge, teens and adults pledge to:
- Protect lives by never texting or talking on the phone while driving.
- Be a good passenger and speak out if the driver in my car is distracted.
- Encourage friends and family to drive phone-free.
Learn more about:
Parents and Teens
- Earned media materials
- Creative materials
- TV / radio spots
- The GDL System
Additional Resources from NHTSA
- Priority Program Areas
- Teen Safety Statistics
- Studies and Reports
Help NHTSA remind teens: Drive by the Rules. Keep the Privilege.
For more information on teen driver safety—visit:
- NHTSA’s Teen Drivers page
- FindYouthInfo’s youth topic on Teen Driver Safety