A PEER-TO-PEER SAFETY PROGRAM FOR AMERICA’S YOUTH

TOO MANY TEENS ARE DYING• Motor vehicle crashes are the

#1 killer of teens in America• About 3,500 teens per year

are killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. and nearly 500,000 are injured

(Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, 2009)

It’s like commercial airliners full of teens

crashing every other week.

COMMON MISCONCEPTION

• Drinking and driving is involved in only 13% of 16-year old driver crashes

• Campaigns directed at this issue are missing 87% of the problem for this age group

(Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, 2009)

THE HIGHEST RISKS

Driver inexperience, coupled with the following situations / conditions:1. Driving at night / tired2. Speeding and street racing3. Distractions, such as cell phones

and other teen passengers4. Low seat belt use5. Driving under the influence of

alcohol and/or drugs

(Source: National Safety Council, 2007)

THE TEEN BRAIN IS A WORK IN PROGRESS• Prefrontal cortex – helps with reasoning and decision making - is last to

develop (fully developed around age 25)

• What this Means:

• Teens are at a very real, fundamental disadvantage

• Teen brain less able to analytically evaluate situations

• Teens likely to make decisions based on impulses, rather than consequences

• Teens tend to engage in risky behaviors

• Results are increased injuries and increased fatalities(Source: J. Giedd, M.D. Journal of Adolescent Health 2008)

DRIVING AT NIGHT• In 2009, 43% of teen fatalities

occurred between 9pm and 6am(Source: Texas Transportation Institute, 2009 study)

• Driving visibility is significantly reduced at night

• Teens need 9.25 hours per sleep, yet get an average 7.4 hours per night(Source: National Sleep Foundation, 2006 study)

DROWSY DRIVING

• More than half of all fall-asleep crashes involve young drivers(Source: National Sleep Foundation, Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, 2007)

• 62% of 11th graders and 68% of 12th graders say they drive while drowsy(Source: National Sleep Foundation, 2006 Study)

• Being awake for 20 hours is equal to being legally drunk(Source: National Sleep Foundation, 2006 Study)

DISTRIBUTION OF DRIVER “FALL ASLEEP” CRASHES BY AGE

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Age

Num

ber

of C

rash

es

NCHRP Report 500, Volume 19, 2007: A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Young Drivers

SPEEDING• In 2009, 39% of teen male drivers

and 24% of female teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding(Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, Speeding, 2009 Data)

• When there are teen passengers, teen drivers tend to drive faster(Source: National Institute Health and Westat)

• Teens are more likely to speed after they have been drinking(Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, Speeding, 2009 Data)

THREE MAIN TYPES OF DISTRACTIONS

• Visual — taking your eyes off the road

• Manual — taking your hands off the wheel

• Cognitive — taking your mind off what you’re doing

DEADLY DISTRACTIONS• More teen fatal crashes occur

when passengers (often other teens) are in the car (Source: NHTSA, Teen Unsafe Driving Behavior: Focus Group Final Report, 2006)

• 2 out of 3 teens that died as passengers were in vehicles driven by other teens(Source: NHTSA, Teen Unsafe Driving Behavior: Focus Group Final Report, 2006)

Photo by Aaron Dieppa

IMPACT OF TEEN PASSENGERS ON TEEN DRIVERS

CELL PHONE USE & TEXTING

• Drivers talking on a cell are 4 times more likely to be in a crash(Source: New England Journal of Medicine)

• Teens engage in complex, non-driving tasks more frequently than adults(Source: VTTI, 2009)

• Texting is the new DWI -“intexticated”

SAFETY BELT USE

• 64% of teens, aged 13 to 20, killed were not buckled up at the time of the crash (Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, 2009)

• Teens wear their safety belts less than other drivers(Source: NHTSA, Teen Unsafe Driving Behavior: Focus Group Final Report, 2006)

• Males and pickup truck drivers are the least likely to wear seat belts(Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, 2009)

TEXAS LAWS YOU SHOULD KNOW…• Night driving, passengers now restricted for first year of driving

• Talking/texting on cell prohibited for all drivers under 18

• No cell use in school zones, regardless of age

• All drivers, passengers must buckle up – front or back

• Driving test required at end of driver education course

• It is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to drive with any detectable amount of alcohol in their system. Up to $500 fine, 60-day driver’s license suspension, 20 to 40 hours community service, mandatory alcohol awareness classes

GEORGIA LAWS YOU SHOULD KNOW…• No night driving between midnight – 6am under 18• First 6 months, no passengers; Second 6 months, no more than

one passenger under 21; thereafter, no more than three passengers until age 18

• Talking on cell prohibited for all under 18• No texting, regardless of age• All passengers under 17 must be secured, 18 and over must be

secured in the front seat• 40 hours (including 6 hours at night) of supervised driving hours

required

CALIFORNIA LAWS YOU SHOULD KNOW…• No night driving between 11pm – 5am under 17

• Talking on cell prohibited for all under 18

• No texting, regardless of age

• First 12 months, no passengers under 20

• All drivers, passengers must buckle up – front or back

• 50 hours of supervised driving hours required

TEENS IN THE DRIVER SEAT® AS PART OF THE SOLUTION• Peer-to-peer program

• Increases awareness of all teen driving risks

• Decreases crashes involving teens

• Guidance provided by a TeenAdvisory Board

• Science provided by TexasTransportation Institute

INVOLVING TEENS IS CRITICAL

“Tell me something, and I’ll forget.

Show me something, and I may remember it.

Involve me, and I’ll understand.”

-- Chinese Proverb

4 STEPS TO SAVING LIVES1. Identify Teens in the Driver Seat®

team members

2. Find out what teens in your community know

3. Share what they need to know

4. Keep the program going

IDENTIFYING & ORGANIZING YOUR TEAM• Team size of 10 to 12 students is ideal

• Can be a school-based organization (FCCLA, Student Council, 4-H, etc.);

• Or a group of volunteers

• Helps continuity if you involve some freshman and sophomores as well

• Can be done after school or duringnon-class times, such as lunch

PROJECT IDEAS – FREQUENT ACTIVITIES ARE BEST

Dress your school mascot in a t-shirt at sports events.

Use side walk chalk or tape to create body outlines and in them write about the top five risks.

Set up an obstacle course and time teens going through it with and without distractions.

SAFE DRIVING PLEDGEI make this pledge both bold and brave, so someone’s life I will help to save. Watch my speed, stay awake and know the difference a drink can make. Buckle up and avoid distractions – like texting, cell phones – such deadly actions. Golden rules, simply five. Strive to keep our drive alive.

REACH

San AntonioYoakum

Beaumont

Tyler

Dallas

Odessa

El Paso

Corpus Christi

Lubbock

Austin

Laredo

Pampa

La Joya

Wichita Falls

Waco

Ft Worth

Bracketville

College Station

Brenaham

Houston

Mc Allen

Bronte

Taft

•500+ high schools and 500,000+ teens to date

•Also active in CA, CT and GA

T-DRIVER.COM• Safe driving articles,

stats, and facts• Contests and Events• Team Pages• Downloadable videos,

posters and media• Activity ideas• Order Forms• Testimonials, stories

TEENS IN THE DRIVER SEAT® TOOLS• Web site: t-driver.com

• Team t-shirts and jerseys

• TV messages and radio spots

• Logo, artwork

• Downloadable posters

• How-to guide

• Promotional items

FIND OUT WHAT TEENS KNOW

• Tool is provided to assess current awareness and driving behaviors

• Summary of gathered data is provided back to school

• Identifies awareness gaps for messaging and activities

• Tracks changes in awareness and behavior (post-assessment)

TEENS IN THE DRIVER SEAT® BANNERS Order an official banner or make your own. Use them at:

• Sporting Events

• Concession Stands

• Cafeteria

• Library

• Team Activities

NEED MORE?• Positive media coverage for

your school

• Community service credits

• Contests with prizes

• Awards

• Teen Advisory Board

• Teen of the Month

TEEN TRAFFIC FATALITY TRENDS / BENCHMARKS IN TEXAS

533540

548581

625 625

546

504482

459435

417

374

300

400

500

600

700

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

16-19 Year - old drivers involved in fatal crashes in Texas FARS Data1995

On- Road Driving Test

Removed

Teens in the Driver Seat® ImplementedGDL Implemented

Parent Taught Driver Ed

Implemented

-40% for teens

-14% for drivers 25+ years old

FIELD STUDIES• Wireless device use by

drivers: down 30%

• Seat belt use: up 14%

Down 30% Up 14%

2011 AWARDS

• Governors Highway Safety Association, Peter O’Rourke Safety Award

• ITE Transportation Achievement Award for Safety• 6 major national awards in last 6 years• Identified as “national best practice for safety”, 3 years

in a row

PROGRAM CONTACTSProgram Director Public AffairsRussell Henk Bernie Fette(210) 979-9411 (979) 845-2623r-henk@tamu.edu b-fette@tamu.edu

A PEER-TO-PEER SAFETY PROGRAM FOR AMERICA’S YOUTH