National Teen Driver Safety Week Encourages Communication, Education

Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens in the United States and the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) encourages parents, teens, and all motorists to practice safe driving habits not only during National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 16-22, but at all times throughout the year.

This year marks the tenth year of National Teen Driver Safety Week, a nationwide campaign aimed specifically at teens to promote long term safe driving behaviors through education and communication efforts. The theme of this year’s week is “Talk to Your Teen About the ‘5 to Drive’” which asks that families discuss driving risks for teens, including alcohol use, not using seat belts, distracted driving, speeding, and teen passengers.

According to research from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2,270 teens in the U.S. aged 16 to 19 were killed and over 221,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes during calendar year 2014. The SFPD recognizes the essential role National Teen Safety Week plays in the effort to reduce the number of teens killed and injured in motor vehicle collisions. The first two years of a lifetime of driving are the most dangerous.

For more traffic safety information, visit the California Office of Traffic Safety at www.ots.ca.gov, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at www.nhtsa.gov, and Impact Teen Drivers at www.impactteendrivers.org.