-Today, AAA, Minnesota Safety Council and FOX 9 launched a teen driving and traffic safety education campaign that will be the focus of a year-long television/web partnership on Fox KMSP, www.myfox9.com and My29 WFTC. Public service announcements will feature Minnesota teens and run in the highest rated programs for teen viewing including Simpsons, Family Guy, Malcolm in the Middle and more. In addition, a series of stories and messages targeted to parents by Jeff Passolt on how to communicate with their teens on this important subject will be featured during Fox 9 News throughout the year.
“Teens represent 7 percent of drivers but are involved in 13 percent of all fatal crashes because they often are not prepared for the very real and potentially deadly risks they face on the roadway,” said Gail Weinholzer, AAA Minnesota/Iowa.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Minnesota teens. In fact, teenagers are killed more often on the road than any other age group. From 1999 to 2003, Minnesota traffic crashes took 236 teen lives — eclipsing the combined death total of the next four leading causes of death. The problem is worst among 16-year-olds, who have the least driving experience and an immaturity that often results in risk-taking behind the wheel.
“Unfortunately, teens who make poor choices while driving often experience tragic outcomes because they are the least likely age group to buckle up,” said Dawn Duffy, AAA Minneapolis. “Through this educational campaign, we hope to help teens make safer choices and ultimately reduce the risk to Minnesota’s youngest drivers.”
Statistics show that the top six driving risk factors for teens are:
* Failing to wear a seat belt
Each year, 75 percent of teens killed are not buckled up. Properly wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by approximately 50 percent.
* Distraction
Text messaging, cell phones, eating, grooming and talking with other passengers increases the risk of being involved in a crash.
* Excessive speed
Illegal/unsafe speed is the most common contributing factor in single vehicle crashes for drivers. Teens particularly have difficulty adjusting speed to driving conditions.
* Fatigue
A person who has been awake for 24 hours experiences impairment nearly equal to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 percent. Teens often don’t get enough sleep.
* Driving at night
Mile for mile, 16- and 17-year-olds are about three times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash at night than during the day.
* Driving with other teens
The presence of teen passengers dramatically increases the risk of crashing.
“It seems that hardly a week goes by without a horrific crash involving teens,” said Ann Kulenkamp, director of communications for the Minnesota Safety Council. “The goal of this partnership is to prevent these tragedies by making teens and parents aware of the risks, choices and consequences that young drivers face.”
As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 50 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com. The Minnesota Safety Council, founded in 1928, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Minnesota by preventing unintentional injuries and deaths. It is a chapter of the National Safety Council.