Garland’s teen drivers show significant safety improvements

GARLAND – Safer driving habits for Garland teenagers have helped to sharply reduce fatal crashes in the community, according to a recent case study.

Researchers from the Teens in the Driver Seat Center of the Texas Transportation Institute reviewed both driver behavior and crash statistics in Garland and Mesquite during two periods: from 2002 through 2005, and 2006 through 2009. While both cities experienced improvements during the study period, those in Garland were more dramatic:

• The number of teen crash fatalities in Garland dropped from 9 to 1. The number in Mesquite fell from 4 to 2.
• The percentage of all crashes that involved a teen driver in Garland dropped from 28 percent to 16 percent. In Mesquite, that percentage fell from 24 percent to 22 percent.

In addition, Garland teens also demonstrated higher seat belt use and lower cell phone use behind the wheel than their counterparts in Mesquite.

The researchers attribute the improvements to a combination of two factors: the state’s graduated driver license (GDL) law – which places restrictions on drivers for the first year that they hold a license – and the Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) Program, which is designed to reinforce the GDL law through peer influence. The TDS Program has been active in Garland’s seven high schools since 2006, whereas the program is not active in Mesquite.

“The GDL law gives us an essential foundation,” said State Rep. Joe Driver, one of the original authors of the law. “But the law can be made more effective by creative efforts like Teens in the Driver Seat. Together, they give us a one-two punch that works very well.”

The GDL in Texas, originally passed in 2002, prohibited teenage drivers from carrying more than one passenger under the age of 21 or driving between midnight and 5 a.m. The Legislature strengthened the law twice since then, adding a cell phone restriction in 2005 and extending the restriction period from six months to 12 months in 2009.

Garland high schools in 2006 started the Teens in the Driver Seat Program, a teen-led initiative that emphasizes the dangers most common to young drivers: driving at night, cell phone use / texting, speeding, low seat belt use, and alcohol. The program also relies on teens to develop and deliver safety messages to each other. Driver behavior and crash trends in Garland were compared through last year with those in Mesquite, which hasn’t started the TDS program and experienced more modest safety improvements by comparison.

Mesquite teens did, however, show an increase in seat belt use, from 75 percent in 2008 to 81 percent in 2009. Officials give credit for that increase to the Texas Department of Transportation’s annual Click it or Ticket seat belt campaign, which for the first time focused on teen drivers and passengers. Researchers expect Click it or Ticket to push seat belt usage rates even higher for teens in future years.

The case study results show that the best results come from a coordinated approach involving public policy and peer influence.

“TTI has worked for years to better understand this problem, and now we know more than we ever have about how to address it,” TTI Director Dennis Christiansen said. “We’re committed to continued research and innovations to help fight the number-one killer of teenagers in America.”

TDS is available at no cost to Texas high schools through funding support from the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Transportation Institute, and State Farm.

“Garland’s involvement in the Teens in the Driver Seat program is important for the safety of our youth,” Garland Mayor Ronald E. Jones said. “I am particularly pleased with the leadership demonstrated by members of the Garland Youth Council as they work with the Garland ISD high schools to spread these vital safety messages to their peers.”

Texas teen drivers are more aware of the danger posed by cell phones than they were a year ago, and they are less likely to use a phone while driving. And overall, urban teens tend to be better at avoiding distractions behind the wheel than their rural counterparts, just as they were a year ago.

The changes are reflected in the nation’s largest review to date of risk awareness and driving behavior among teens, conducted by the Teens in the Driver Seat Center of the Texas Transportation Institute. Researchers collected responses from more than 18,000 high school students over a two-year period. The review produced several major findings. Among them:

• The percentage of those teens who recognized the danger of texting or talking on a cell phone while driving rose from 70 percent to 84 percent for urban teen drivers, and from 64 percent to 93 percent for rural teens.
• The percentage of teens who reported talking on a cell phone while driving dropped from 52 percent to 46 percent for urban teen drivers, and from 66 percent to 52 percent for rural teens.
• The percentage of teens who say they text behind the wheel dropped from 47 percent to 42 percent for urban teen drivers, and from 58 percent to 48 percent for rural teens.
• While rural teens were more prone to dangerous distractions behind the wheel than urban teens, the two groups reported that they received traffic tickets at about the same rate.

Researchers announced the findings this week to add new insight to the discussion planned in Washington, D.C. next week, when transportation leaders, lawmakers and safety experts gather for the first-ever National Summit on Distracted Driving.

“The most productive discussions on policy result from thorough understanding of an issue,” said Russell Henk, a Senior Research Engineer for TTI. “We believe that what we’ve learned directly from teens in Texas can add a lot to that understanding and lead to safer driving conditions for all of us.”

Researchers also examined awareness and behavior related to the danger associated with teen passengers, as studies have shown that the distraction created by the presence of those passengers increases the likelihood of a crash significantly. Although urban teen drivers are more likely to expose themselves to the passenger risk, both groups showed improvement from last year to this year. The percentage dropped from 65 to 54 percent for rural teen drivers, and from 74 to 57 percent for urban teens.

Car crashes kill more young people nationwide each year than any other cause. Distractions constitute the third-most-common factor leading to fatal and injury crashes among teens, according to studies by TTI’s Teens in the Driver Seat Center. Nighttime driving and speeding are number one and two on the list.

For more information on the Texas Transportation Institute: tti.tamu.edu. For more information on Teens in the Driver Seat: www.t-driver.com.

The rate of fatal teen crashes is declining faster and more steadily in Texas than in any other state, thanks in part to a growing program that uses peer communication to reduce the dangers for young drivers, according to a new study by the Texas Transportation Institute.

The study examines the trend in states with at least five years of crash records available after implementation of a graduated driver license (GDL) law, and also illustrates the growth of the Teens in the Driver Seat program which augments the state’s 2002 GDL law. In those years, Texas has outpaced the other 36 states on a number of levels.

• The number of fatal crashes per 10,000 teenage drivers fell by 32.5 percent, the most of any of the states measured. Texas was also the only state to record a steady drop in the teen fatal crash rate for five straight years.
• The actual number of teen drivers in fatal crashes also dropped nearly 33 percent in Texas, while the average number for the nation’s other large states increased slightly.
• The improvement in Texas is three times greater than what should be expected from GDL laws alone.
• Benefits from GDL laws are typically limited to 16-year-old drivers, but significant improvement in Texas was seen in older teen drivers, as well.
• The decline in the fatal crash rate for teen drivers was more than five times greater than for the balance of Texas drivers.

Researchers and teen leaders assign much of the credit for the unusual trend in Texas to the Teens in the Driver Seat Program.

“We believe Teens in the Driver Seat is making a real difference in Texas,” said Albert Torres, Jr. of Laredo, a member of the TDS Teen Advisory Board. “Laws are important, but they can’t do the job alone, so young people have to be part of the solution, too.”

Torres and other teen advisors were joined on Monday by State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, who chairs the House Committee on Public Health. “This is one of the biggest public health problems we have ever faced,” Kolkhorst said. “But in Texas, we are leading the way in fighting a nationwide killer. As a co-author of the original graduated driver license law, I’m proud to see that our state’s approach to teen driving is saving lives.”

The TTI study examined federal data in all states where GDL laws have been in place for at least five years. The record in Texas is better than what should have been expected, researchers say, given two noteworthy obstacles the state faces. First, Texas doesn’t require an on-road driving test for new drivers, meaning that many 16-year-olds begin to drive without demonstrating that they’re up to the task. Second, the state allows parent-taught driver education, which research has shown to be linked to a fatal crash rate nearly three times higher than other driver education methods. More than a third of young drivers secure their license through parent-taught driver ed.

Research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has shown that states with “fair” GDL laws can expect a fatal crash reduction of 11 percent. TTI researchers say the balance of the 33 percent reduction in Texas is due largely to the TDS program, which has been introduced in nearly 300 schools and reached a quarter million teens statewide. Russell Henk, a TTI Senior Research Engineer, outlined a case study of the program showing that young drivers have reduced cell phone use by 30 percent and increased seat belt use by 10 percent. Assessments also show that program participants have boosted their knowledge of the most common driving dangers by up to 200 percent. Those improvements have helped to reduce fatal teen crashes, Henk said.

“Our analysis shows that we have saved more than 200 young lives and saved more than $2 billion in Texas since the TDS program began,” Henk said of the TTI study. “If other states take advantage of our experience, we believe they can do the same.”

TTI plans to continue expansion of the program within – and beyond – Texas. “TTI has worked for years to better understand this problem, and now we know more than we ever have about how to address it,” TTI Director Dennis Christiansen said. “We’re committed to continued research and innovations to help fight the number-one killer of teenagers in America.”

TDS is the nation’s first grassroots peer safety program for young drivers. Unlike previous programs, it relies on teens to design and deliver safety messages. And in contrast to other programs that focus on a single risk, such as alcohol or safety belt use, TDS also emphasizes the dangers that are actually more common to young drivers: driving at night, speeding, and distractions created by cell phones, texting and other young passengers. Researchers say the program is the ideal complement to teen driving laws. “The lesson here is that laws can be more effective when they are reinforced by peer programs like Teens in the Driver Seat,” Henk said. “In the fight to stop the number-one killer of teenagers in America, GDL and TDS give us the perfect one-two punch.”

The TDS program is available free of charge to schools in Texas through partial funding support from State Farm Insurance. More information is available at www.t-driver.com.

(Read the study’s white paper[PDF] online.)

CHANNELVIEW – Local teens share a number of risky driving habits with other young drivers across Texas, according to a recent study. In response, Channelview students have launched Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS), the nation’s first peer-to-peer safety program for young drivers. Channelview is the first school in the Houston region to start the program.

Nearly 500 Texas teens die every year in traffic crashes. Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers attribute the crashes to inexperience, combined with one or more of the five main risks that plague young drivers: driving at night, distractions (primarily cell phones, texting and other teen passengers), speeding, low safety belt use, and alcohol.

TTI assessed risk awareness and driving behavior of teens at Channelview and 23 other high schools across Texas during the past year. Key findings, announced during a student-led press conference on Wednesday, showed that the students don’t understand the key causes of crashes involving young drivers, and they’re prone to dangerous driving habits:

• Only about one percent of teens statewide and locally regard nighttime driving as risky, and about 30 percent of them routinely drive after 10 p.m. Late night driving is the most common contributor to crashes involving young drivers.
• Half of the Channelview students recognize that speeding is dangerous, and 20 percent of them say they speed frequently. Speeding is the second most common cause of teen-driver crashes.
• Two-thirds of Channelview students recognize that talking or texting on a cell phone while driving is dangerous, but nearly 20 percent of them say they frequently do so anyway. Distractions, including cell phones, rank number three on the list of the most common dangers for young drivers.

The findings are based on a total of 769 responses at Channelview. Statewide, about 11,000 students participated in the study. Responses suggest that Channelview students are about as likely as other Texas teens to speed, drive after drinking or drive without a safety belt. At the same time, local teens are somewhat less likely to talk or text on a cell phone while driving or drive late at night.

Car crashes kill more young people than any other cause, accounting for nearly 6,000 teen deaths nationwide.

“This problem has become an epidemic across America,” said Danielle Thibodeaux, a student leader of the Channelview TDS program. “Effective laws and driver training are important, but they are not enough. We can’t reverse this deadly trend without positive peer pressure; that’s the idea behind Teens in the Driver Seat.”

Unlike other safety initiatives targeting young people behind the wheel, TDS involves teens directly to help develop and deliver the right safety messages. TTI developed TDS and provides the science, materials and support for the program, while each student group determines how the program will work in their school.

At Channelview, the students have spread their messages through hallway decorations, conducted safety belt checks (with rewards for students who buckle up), and used the homecoming parade to reach both students and parents. In addition, they promoted driving safety messages at each game of the football season.

The program is offered to Texas schools at no cost through funding support from the Texas Department of Transportation and State Farm Insurance.

Schools interested in starting the program can learn more at www.t-driver.com.

BRISTOL – A recent study shows that area teenagers understand little about the main dangers they face on the road. In response, students from two local high schools are using a new program to reverse the growing trend of teen crash deaths and injuries.

Students from Central and Eastern High Schools in Bristol completed questionnaires in October as a first step in their launch of Teens in the Driver Seat®, America’s first peer-to-peer safety program for young drivers. The two schools are the first in New England to initiate the program.

About 50 teenage drivers in Connecticut are involved in fatal crashes every year. Researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute (a national research agency) attribute those crashes to inexperience, combined with one or more of the five main risks that plague young drivers: driving at night, distractions (primarily cell phones, texting and other teen passengers), speeding and street racing, low seat belt use, and alcohol.

Findings from the local study offer insights into what local teen drivers understand about the primary risks they face:

• Only 2 percent realize that nighttime driving is risky, even though that factor ranks at the top of the list of dangers.
• Only 15 percent regard the lack of seat belt use as being a major contributor to crash injuries and deaths.
• 41 percent could name at least three of the top five driving dangers, 25 percent could name four, and three percent could name all five.
• On a positive note, 76 percent recognized speeding as risky, and 95 percent cited alcohol as a risk factor.

More than 6,000 U.S. teens die every year in traffic crashes – the number one cause of death, by far, for this age group.

Unlike other safety initiatives targeting young people behind the wheel, TDS involves teens directly to help develop and deliver the right safety messages.

TTI developed TDS and provides the science, materials and support for the program, while each student group determines how the program will work in their school. The program started in Texas, where it is active in some 130 high schools. Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern are the first schools in the Northeastern U.S. to launch the program. Funding is provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Most young drivers don’t know that they’re 10 times more likely to die in a crash than people in other age groups,” says Russell Henk, Director of the TDS Program. “But they need to hear the message from a source they trust; they need to hear it from each other. That’s what Teens in the Driver Seat is all about.”

Schools interested in starting the program can learn more at www.t-driver.com.

SAN ANTONIO – Teen traffic fatalities are seeing a sharp drop in Texas, and researchers say that part of the credit for the first time goes to an unlikely source – teenagers themselves.

The most recent federal statistics show the number of fatalities among 13-19 year-old drivers and passengers in Texas is down from 549 in 2002 to 424 in 2006. The decline of 125 deaths, or 22.8 percent, is the highest total decrease in the U.S., the largest percentage drop among the nation’s biggest states and nearly twice the national average of 12.4 percent.

Texas outpaced New York where the decline was 21.5 percent, California where the reduction was 11 percent, and Florida, where teen fatalities actually increased by 9 percent during that period.

Another important measure—the number of teenage drivers involved in fatal crashes—has also been on the decline. That number dropped 27 percent in Texas, as compared to 13 percent nationwide, from 2002 to 2006.

“This is remarkable progress,” said U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, who has championed the teen driver safety issue in Southwest Texas. “The teen driver safety problem is nothing less than a public health crisis, so it’s truly encouraging to see that we’re making such significant progress on this front.”

To explain likely reasons for the trend, safety advocates point out that in the five-year period measured, Texas has seen only two major developments involving young drivers.

The first was the enactment of a graduated driver licensing (GDL) law, which put restrictions on novice drivers during the first six months that they held a license. The second was the introduction of Teens in the Driver Seat®, the nation’s first peer-to-peer safety program for young drivers, developed by the Texas Transportation Institute. While other efforts have sought to highlight the teen driver issue, TDS is the first program to directly engage teens in raising awareness and changing behavior. Both GDL and peer education are needed, the experts say, because there’s no single magic solution to a problem that has reached epidemic proportions across America.

“Effective laws and parental involvement are essential,” said Rodriguez, who earlier this year secured $343,000 in federal funding to expand the TDS program in Texas. “But laws and parents will never be enough. We need teenagers to drive the message—just as they’re doing through Teens in the Driver Seat.”

Early evaluations of the TDS program show that message is getting across. Assessments of some TDS schools reflect increased awareness of key driving risks ranging from 23 percent to 1,300 percent. Field studies at the same schools showed a 30 percent drop in cell phone use while driving, and an 11 percent increase in seat belt use.

The trends and findings will be explored further on Friday at the opening of the Teens in the Driver Seat Summit in San Antonio, a gathering of some 200 teen leaders and safety professionals.

About 6,000 teens die each year in crashes, the leading cause of death for that age group. The first-ever Summit—held during National Teen Driver Safety Week—is intended to provide a forum to promote better understanding of the problem’s causes, and to directly involve young people more in its solutions.

The TDS program is sponsored in Texas by the Texas Department of Transportation and State Farm Insurance. New federal funding will provide for the expansion of the program to three additional states this school year.

“The recent news about teen crash fatalities in Texas is very positive,” said Russell Henk, Director of the TDS Program at TTI. “This progress in Texas strongly suggests that together, a GDL law and the TDS program can be a powerful one-two punch in the battle to reduce the number of young people dying on our roads.”

Henk said in Friday’s announcement that another important factor underscores the value of the GDL / TDS combination. The sharp downward trend, he noted, occurred at a time during which parent-taught driver education was permitted in Texas, one of only three states allowing that instructional method. A 2007 study by TTI found that parent-taught teens were nearly three times more likely to be in a fatal crash than teens getting their license through more formal driver education.

“The progress we’re making is very encouraging—particularly in light of the obstacles we face,” Henk said.

Students at Pampa High School are more likely to drive dangerously than other Texas high school students, even though they are generally more aware of the risks they face behind the wheel. As a result, the school is the first in the Panhandle to launch Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS), the nation’s first peer-to-peer safety program for young drivers.

More than 500 Texas teens die every year in traffic crashes. Texas Transportation Institute researchers attribute the crashes to inexperience, combined with one or more of the five main risks that plague young drivers: driving at night, distractions (primarily cell phones, texting and other teen passengers), speeding, low seat belt use, and alcohol.

TTI surveyed 521 Pampa HS students in April, and compared findings to surveys done at 34 other high schools across Texas. This statewide examination of teen driving behavior is the most extensive review of its kind ever done in Texas or in the United States.

Researchers say that in general Pampa students scored better in most awareness categories than other students in Texas, and that local students scored even higher when compared with students at other rural Texas high schools. The comparisons weren’t as favorable, however, when the survey considered actual driving behavior:

• Only about one percent of Pampa students recognize that driving at night is dangerous, and nearly half of them say they frequently drive after 10 p.m.
• More than 60 percent of local students know that it’s dangerous to talk or text on a cell phone while driving, but about 40 percent of them do so anyway.
• Pampa students are much more likely to drive or ride without a seat belt or drive after drinking, even though they’re much more aware of those dangers than other students across the state.

More than 6,000 U.S. teens die every year in traffic crashes – the number one cause of death, by far, for this age group.

“It’s like a commercial jet loaded with teenagers crashing to the ground every week for an entire year,” say Kristen Dunn and Garrett Couts, the student leaders of the Pampa TDS program. “But that’s not how these tragedies happen; they happen one or two at a time, which is why this problem isn’t getting the attention we believe it deserves. Through Teens in the Driver Seat, we intend to change that.”

Unlike other safety initiatives targeting young people behind the wheel, TDS involves teens directly to help develop and deliver the right safety messages.

“Numerous studies – and our own experience – tell us that teenagers listen to each other much more than they listen to adults,” said State Rep. Warren Chisum, who joined the students for their announcement. “What better way then, to make them safer on the roadways, than to have them carry the message of safety and awareness to each other?”

TTI developed TDS and provides the science, materials and support for the program, while each student group determines how the program will work in their school.

“Most young drivers don’t know that they’re 10 times more likely to die in a crash than people in other age groups,” says Randy Hopmann, the interim Amarillo District Engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation. “But they need to hear the message from a source they trust; they need to hear it from each other. That’s what Teens in the Driver Seat is all about.”

The Teens in the Driver Seat program is offered to Texas schools at no cost through funding support from TxDOT and State Farm Insurance.

“These alarming teen driver statistics are an unfortunate reality that affects us all. We, at State Farm, feel an urgency to make our young drivers aware of the many risks and responsibilities that come with driving,” said State Farm representative Jamie Smith. “Driving is not a right, but rather a privilege. Being a new driver is an exciting experience for a teen; we want to make sure it is a safe one as well.”

Schools interested in starting the program can learn more at www.t-driver.com.

SAN ANTONIO – Congressman Ciro Rodriguez today announced a federal appropriation aimed at reducing the number of teen crash fatalities in Southwest Texas. Funding in the amount of $343,000 will be used to expand the successful Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) program, America’s first peer-to-peer safety program for young drivers. More than 6,000 teens die every year in traffic crashes – the number one cause of death, by far, for this age group.

“That’s the equivalent of a commercial jet loaded with teenagers crashing to the ground every week for an entire year,” Rodriguez noted in his announcement at Communications Arts High School.
“But that’s not how these tragedies happen; they happen one or two at a time, which is why this problem isn’t getting the attention we believe it deserves. Through this appropriation, Teens in the Driver Seat intends to change that.”

Work will be concentrated in the 23rd Congressional District, which Rodriguez represents in Congress.

Surveys of high school students across Texas show that young drivers and their passengers are largely unaware of the risks that they face. Those risks (in addition to basic inexperience) include: driving at night, distractions such as cell phones and too many teen passengers, speeding, low seat belt use, and alcohol. The surveys also indicate that teens frequently engage in risky driving behaviors. TDS is designed to address both risk awareness and driving behavior, relying largely on the power of peer-based communication.

“Numerous studies – and our own experience – tell us that teenagers listen to each other far more than they listen to adults. What better way then, to make them safer on the roadways, than to have them carry the message to each other?” said Hope Andrade, Chairwoman of the Texas Transportation Commission, who joined Rodriguez for the announcement. “For the past few years, that’s what we’ve been doing at TxDOT through our involvement in the TDS program.”

TDS was originally launched on the campus of Communications Arts and adjacent Taft High School in a 2003 pilot study. In that effort, the peer-to-peer communication effort helped raise awareness of certain driving risks by as much as 200 percent. Since that time, the TDS program has spread to nearly 100 schools across Texas.

“We’re working to stop the number-one killer of teenagers in America,” Rodriguez said. “And I am proud to be able to augment these efforts for Southwest Texas through this federal appropriation.”

WACO – Students at two McClennan County high schools are more aware of driving dangers than other Texas teenagers, according to a recent survey. Even so, those students still admit to risky driving behaviors, so the schools will soon go head to head in a challenge to improve safety on the road.

The findings are based on surveys at Connally High School and West High School conducted during the fall by the Teens in the Driver Seat Program of the Texas Transportation Institute.

Car crashes kill more young people each year than any other cause. Researchers say that driver inexperience is the root of the problem, made worse by one or more of five risk factors: driving at night, distractions (cell phones/texting and other teen passengers, etc.), speeding, low seat belt use, and alcohol.

The findings at Connally and West are largely consistent with those from other schools in Texas.

• Fewer than three percent of students understand that driving at night is unsafe, but roughly one-third of them routinely drive after 10 p.m.
• A fourth of the students recognize that having too many young passengers is dangerous, but roughly a third say that they travel that way frequently.
• More than half of the students realize that it’s dangerous to use a cell phone behind the wheel, but roughly a fourth of them do so anyway.

On the bright side, the students at both Connally and West tend to engage in some dangerous driving habits less frequently than students surveyed at several other rural schools in Texas. The surveys show they are less likely than other rural teens to drive late at night, use cell phones or send and receive text messages while driving. Conversely, students at both schools are slightly more likely to drive after drinking or drive without wearing a seat belt, and students in West admit to speeding more often.

The students say they know they can be safer drivers, so student leaders at the two rival schools have issued a challenge to see which student body can bring about the biggest safety improvement. Both schools have started Teens in the Driver Seat, America’s first peer-to-peer safety program for young drivers. Unlike other programs, TDS relies on teenagers themselves to develop and deliver safety messages. TDS is available to Texas high schools through funding provided by the Texas Department of Transportation and State Farm Insurance. TxDOT has invested $900,000 for the program statewide this year, while State Farm has committed $100,000 annually for five years.

“Our two schools have been rivals for a long time, but the competition we are taking part in today is much more important than any athletic competition we have ever been a part of,” says Brandt Roessler, a student from West High School. “This time we are competing to save lives.”

Researchers plan to survey the students at Connally and West again later in the school year to measure any improvements in awareness and behavior. An analysis at several Texas schools shows the TDS program to be effective in changing young driver behavior. Cell phone use by drivers at those schools dropped by 30 percent after students became active in the cause. In addition, seat belt use increased by about 10 percent at those schools.

Car crashes kill about 6,000 teens nationwide each year.

“That’s the equivalent of a commercial jet loaded with teenagers crashing to the ground every week for an entire year,” says Russell Henk, a TTI Research Engineer and the Program Director for TDS. “But that’s not how these tragedies happen; they happen one or two at a time, which is why this problem isn’t getting the attention we believe it deserves. Teens in the Driver Seat intends to change that.”

DULUTH – With the recent end of Daylight Saving Time, driving in Georgia just got a lot more dangerous for teenagers. To make matters worse, a study of local teens reveals that young drivers aren’t even aware of the danger.

Researchers from the Texas Transportation Institute surveyed more than 1,100 teens at Duluth High School in recent weeks to determine how much they knew about driving risk factors, and how often they engaged in risky driving behaviors. The findings bring new understanding to the reasons behind the number-one cause of death for teenagers in the U.S.

• Fewer than one percent of the teens surveyed understand that driving at night is unsafe, while almost a fourth of them say they routinely drive after 10 p.m.
• Roughly one-fourth of teens recognize that it’s dangerous to talk or text on a cell phone while they drive, and the same percentage admits to doing so frequently.
• Only one fourth of young drivers say they are very familiar with the Georgia Graduated Licensing Law, and more than half say that the law has had no impact on their driving habits.

“Nighttime driving is at the top of the danger list, but it’s at the bottom of the awareness list,” says Brianna Dickinson, a spokesperson for Teens in the Driver Seat at Duluth High School. “We’re working to change that, because if we can help other young drivers really understand the dangers they face, we can help them drive more safely.”

Teens in the Driver Seat is the nation’s first peer-to-peer safety program for young drivers. Unlike other programs, TDS involves young drivers directly in developing and delivering safety messages. The TDS Program (www.t-driver.com) is available to Georgia high schools through support provided by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Car crashes kill about 6,000 teens nationwide each year, in what has been increasingly described as an “epidemic” in recent years. Researchers say the crashes are caused primarily by inexperience combined with one or more of five risk factors, in this order of frequency: driving at night, distractions (cell phones/texting and other teen passengers, etc.), speeding, low seat belt use, and alcohol. Fewer than 35 percent of the students surveyed could name three of the risks correctly, 9 percent were able to name four, and fewer than 1 percent could name all five.

Duluth High School is the first in Georgia to launch the TDS program, and program officials say they hope other schools will soon follow.

TDS was originally started in Texas. An analysis at several Texas schools shows the TDS program to be effective in changing young driver behavior. Cell phone use by drivers at those schools dropped by 30 percent after students became active in the cause. In addition, seat belt use increased by about 10 percent at those schools.