Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America. Mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2010 there were 4,585 15-20 year old drivers involved in fatal crashes, 30% of which were killed in drunk driving crashes. Alcohol is just one of the many factors that contribute to fatal traffic crashes. In fact, distracted driving is a major contributor to car crashes, especially among young drivers.
As part of our involvement with teen driver safety, in 2011 The Century Council partnered with the Virginia Supreme Court to develop the IKnowEverything teen driver safety resource.Virginia is the only state in the nation that requires a formal ceremony for teens, their parents and a judge before new drivers can be handed a license.
We are expanding the IKnowEverything program to other states across the nation to be used by a broad audience of teen driver safety practictioners.
IKnowEverything includes a facilitator’s guide that pulls together current facts on teen driver safety, tips for parents and teens as they embark on the freedom of driving, a dynamic video on key safe driving messages and general resources for further information. The materials included in the facilitator’s guide are comprehensive and research-driven. The program research included focus groups with Virginia teens, interviews with Virginia judges, online surveys with teens and their parents and collaboration with Virginia judicial educators.
All of the materials, including the video, can be viewed and downloaded from the IKnowEverything website.