National Teen Driver Safety Week
National Teen Driver Safety Week is conducted annually during the third week of October in the United States. It was established by Congress in 2007.
Background
Motor vehicle crashes remain the primary cause of death for adolescents. Teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes at four times the rate of adult drivers. Each year, more than 5,000 teens are killed in motor vehicle crashes. In 2022, out of 42,514 motor vehicle crash deaths in the USA, 5,239 were caused by young drivers.History
After a series of tragic crashes involving Pennsylvania high school students, Representatives Charlie Dent and Senator Bob Casey Jr. sponsored over 50 co-sponsors to introduce the resolution creating National Teen Driver Safety Week. The initiative was supported by the traffic safety experts at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Companies.A national survey conducted in 2007 by State Farm and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia provided some facts into the teen driving environment, including that while teens are aware of some driving dangers, they may not realize the risks of other distractions and behaviors, such as fatigued driving, speeding, cell phone use, and driving with multiple teen passengers. The majority of crashes involving young drivers are caused by inexperience and driver error.
In Canada, Parachute conducts an annual campaign for NTDSW with the support of State Farm.