As we’ve learned in past weeks, May is an important month for traffic safety nationwide. May marks National Bike Month, Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and National Youth Traffic Safety Month. This mode of driver safety awareness comes at the perfect time, as teen car accident statistics spike during the summer months. As Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood points out on his blog, car accident deaths nearly double for drivers aged 15-19 during May, June, July and August. So do your part to reduce teen car accidents and pay attention to National Youth Traffic Safety Month.
The month, sponsored by the National Organizations for Youth Safety, includes a set of innovative methods for improving teen driving safety. The Act Out Loud contest, adopted by 220 high schools nationwide, encourages teens to host safe driving projects in their home towns. One team in Santa Maria California, for example, put together an 11-step awareness campaign beginning with a 10 minute DVD about a 19 year-old killed in a distracted driving accident. The winning team will receive $10,000 to further their campaign against distracted driving.
“For a lot of teens, this time of year is about kicking back, relaxing, and foregetting about your responsibilities. But we have a full-time responsibility when we get behind the wheel,” said NOYS South Dakota youth leader Elliott Johnson. “These programs are a great opportunity to put the focus back on safety while kids are still in school so that everybody can have a fun, safe summer.”
Finally, the National Road Safety Foundation has produced a PSA that will air nationally thorough May as National Youth Traffic Safety Month. Take a look below:
For more information on methods to improve teen driver safety, visit our Parent-Teen Safe Driver Contract, Auto Accident Preparedness Checklist, and this list of Safest Cars for Teen Drivers, as rated by parents.
Andy Gillin received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is the managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has written and lectured in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury law for numerous organizations. Since 1972 he has been helping seriously injured victims throughout northern California fight & win their personal injury cases. Andy is one of the top awarded & recognized wrongful death lawyers in northern California.