Teenaged drivers are being urged to pay attention to their driving.
Vehicle crashes involving teens are the leading cause of death for young people in the US. Just five percent of teenagers represent all licensed drivers Wisconsin, yet they account for 14 percent of all drivers in crashes.
"Teens are also more likely to speed, drive too fast for conditions, and drive inattentively."
Laura Andreasson, safety policy analyst with the Department of Transportation, says last year, 88 teenagers died in vehicle crashes, that's about 12 percent of all fatalities recorded. Some measures have been taken to help improve safety among teen drivers, like graduated drivers licenses.
Andreasson says that includes an additional 30 hours of practice driving time, with ten hours at night. There have been some highly publicized teen traffic deaths recently, including the four young men who were killed in a single-car crash near Verona when the driver apparently lost control on a curve. Andreasson says many accidents could be prevented.
This is the first annual Teen Driver Safety Week, designated by Congress to inspire dialogue within communities about the causes of crashes.
NOTE: Right now, there is no ban on cell phones for teen drivers in our state.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report (1:34 MP3)
