LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Seven families will lose a teenager today in a car crash: tomorrow, seven more.
National Teen Driver Safety Week came to a close Saturday, but it’s never too late to prepare teens to be safe on the road. The National Road Safety Foundation and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) are urging parents to have transparent conversations with their teenagers about the dangers of driving before handing over car keys.
According to the National Road Safety Foundation:
- Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for teens in the United States
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports 2,611 people were killed in crashes involving a teen driver in 2023
- Teen fatalities rose as much as 20% in some states last year
- An average of 7 teens die every day in traffic crashes nationwide
- 56% teen passenger deaths occurred in vehicles driven by another teen
- Among passenger deaths for all ages, 15% happened with a teen behind the wheel
- In fatal speed-related crashes with teen drivers, the risk increases exponentially with each additional teen passenger in the car.
Distracted and impaired driving, speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and having multiple passengers in a car are some of the leading causes for fatal teen crashes…