Teen hopes to put drunken driving at forefront
Robek's in Westport 398 Post Rd East
is selling bracelets forAshley Hefnawy, a junior at Staples High School,
who came up with the idea after "Grim Reaper Day"
The green bracelets are to make teens aware of the dangers of drunken driving.
The green bracelets sell for $1.50 and any profits will go to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
“If I can get my message out to at least 100 people and only 10 listen, then I've done something,”
A compelling video parents and teens should watch together
The leading cause of Teen Deaths in the US is Automobile accidents
Click on the Journey Safe Promise card to watch the video
Approximately 35,000 American teens have died in automobile crashes in the past 5 years.
That’s 6,000 per year. 18 per day.
Almost 65% of all teen passenger deaths occurred when another teen was driving.
In over 70% of these crashes, the teen driver was at fault.
The number of passengers is the most critical factor related to teen automobile fatalities.
Fatal crash risks increase by 100% for each additional teen passenger in a car that’s driven by another teen.
The exact opposite is true of adult drivers with multiple passengers.
Teens have the lowest seat belt use of all drivers.
Teens are more likely to forget to buckle up when there are other teens in the car.
16 to 18 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers in any other age group.
Inexperience behind the wheel is the leading cause of teenage crashes.
Teens are more likely to be involved in a single vehicle crash than any other age group.
Alcohol or drugs were NOT factors in nearly 70% of these fatal crashes.
Inexperience behind the wheel and driver distraction is the leading cause of young driver crashes, especially in 16 and 17 year-olds.
The teen brain is particularly susceptible to distraction and risk taking behaviors and is limited in its capacity to multi-task behind the wheel.
Although teens can often think as logically as adults, flaring emotions and distractions often undermine their better judgment and decision-making skills.
Multi-tasking and decision making skills are controlled by the prefrontal cortex – the last part of the brain to mature.
This part of the brain does not fully develop until the mid-20s in females, often later in males.
Over 90% of teens admit to doing multiple tasks while driving, such as talking on the cell phone, eating, playing loud music, channel surfing, using mp3 players, and interacting with friends in the car even when they admit they find it distracting.
An overwhelming 75% of teens even admit to text messaging while driving.[1]
ACCIDENT CAR STATISTICS TEENS
Teenagers comprise less than seven percent of the total population but are involved in fourteen percent of all auto accidents. Auto accident and teens statistics also show that teenagers are four times more likely to be killed in an auto accident than are people older than twenty five. Each hour in the United States the combination of auto accidents and teens driving results in fatality. Cases of auto accidents and teens driving occur on the weekends fifty three percent of the time. Of all fatal teen auto accidents, one-third involves speed related collisions and one-quarter involves the use of alcohol.
National Teen Driving Statistics (accident car statistics teens)
It is estimated that 16-year-olds are 3 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers. 16 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
Motor Vehicle Crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers.
3,571 16-20-year-old drivers died in auto accidents in 2003, down 4.1% from 3,723 in 2002, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
$40.8 billion was the estimated economic impact of auto accidents involving 15-20 year old drivers in 2002 (NHTSA).
Inexperience behind the wheel is the leading cause of teenage crashes.
In 2001, two thirds of teens killed in auto accidents were not wearing seat belts.
Teen drivers also have a tendency to drive too fast. This, combined with inexperience and bravado, sometimes leads them to make poor driving decisions. As if things aren't risky enough on our highways and byways, young drivers often mix alcohol and drugs with their driving. Consider the following: In 2001, 26 percent of 16-20 year-old drivers fatally injured in crashes had blood alcohol concentrations of .08 percent or more. While teen substance abuse has been a concern for decades, mixing it with motor vehicle has particularly lethal side effects.
It's dangerous enough for teens to ingest substances that alter perception and reaction times; doing it behind the wheel of a car is almost suicidal. Statistics indicate that this activity shows some signs of abating, but the numbers are still too high. Inexperience on the road and risk taking are two main causes of the high occurrence of auto accidents and teens driving. Eighty two percent of all teen auto accidents are the result of driver error. There are several things that parents and teens can do to reduce the likelihood of auto accidents and teens driving.
Parents can have a major effect on their children's driving practices. Limiting a child's night and unsupervised driving, limiting cell phone use and multiple passenger outings, choosing safe vehicles, encouraging seat belt use, and training teens for poor weather and other adverse driving conditions can greatly reduce your child's chance of being involved in an auto accident. Discussing the use of alcohol and drugs may also be an integral part of preparing teens for unsupervised driving. Over 17,000 teenagers were killed in alcohol related auto accidents between 2000 and 2002. Twenty percent of all teen auto accident fatalities involve the use of drugs or alcohol.
Boys are three times more likely to be involved in teen auto accidents involving alcohol than girls are. Nineteen year olds are about twenty times more likely to be involved in these types of accidents than thirteen year olds. Cases of auto accidents and teens driving under the influence are also more likely to occur in the hours after dark and on the weekends. Because of the high frequency of auto accidents and teens driving, it is important for law officials, communities, parents, and teens to take every measure to reduce the risks auto accidents involving the teenage population. Teenagers who take the time to gain driving experience, follow safety precautions, and refrain from using drugs or alcohol while operating a motor vehicle can greatly reduce their risks of suffering an auto accident.