National Teen Driving Safety Week takes place from Sunday, October 21st to Saturday, October 27th and the Ohio State Highway Patrol is encouraging parents to use the time to discuss responsible driving habits with their driving-age children.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in teens, ahead of all types of injury, disease or violence.
According to the National Highway Safety Administration, teens whose parents impose driving restrictions and set good examples typically engage in less risky driving and are involved in fewer crashes.
In Ohio, teen drivers were involved in 135,882 traffic crashes from 2015 to 2017. An action on the part of the teen driver contributed to 15 percent of these crashes. Crashes where teen drivers were at fault resulted in 285 fatalities and 41,917 injuries.
“Poor decisions while driving can stay with teen drivers for the rest of their lives,” said Lt. Tim Karwatske, Chillicothe Post Commander. “That is why responsibility, awareness and safety are so important for our youngest drivers.”
The State Patrol says teen drivers should plan ahead when traveling to avoid rushing from one location to another.
For a statistical map regarding teen drivers and a county-by-county breakdown of where Patrol citations have been issued to at fault teens, click HERE.