Sacramento, Calif. - Today, Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-05) recognized Teen Safety Driving Week, pointing to the need to promote safe, responsible driving in Sacramento. Rep. Matsui has drafted the STANDUP Act (Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection) to accomplish this goal.
“We are losing too many teenagers to traffic accidents. We must keep our children out of harm's way, and provide them with the skills to be safe, responsible drivers,” said Rep. Matsui.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Americans between 15 and 20 years of age. Between 1994 and 2003, almost 64,000 Americans between 15 and 20 years of age died in motor vehicle crashes at an unforgivable average of 122 per week. Moreover, in 2002, teen drivers were involved in 14.3 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes even though they comprised only 6.4 percent of all drivers.
Many States have already begun to implement innovative teen driving measures. During the past ten years, 38 states have implemented three-stage Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems. Additionally, every State in the country has adopted at least one reasonable driving restriction for new teenage drivers. However, comprehensive teen driving laws save lives and reduce motor vehicle crashes.
“It is clear that we must act now to properly educate teenagers on the dangers of the road. As a parent and grandparent, I know that doing so would bring parents in Sacramento peace of mind. I applaud the efforts of Impact Teen, and look forward to making sure the federal government does its part,” said Rep. Matsui.
Today, the Impact Teen Drivers Program distributed classroom materials to high schools across the state. These packages included booklets outlining the campaign and a poster series for teachers to display in their classrooms. Additionally, each package contained a short DVD with several mini documentaries about the real impact and consequences of distracted driving, an accident probability wheel and remembrance stickers for students and faculty to wear. Impact Teen Drivers will also be launching a website with resources for teachers to integrate the classroom materials into their lessons, featuring videos, tips for parents and an interactive wall for people to create their own memorials to remember friends lost in accidents.
“Until we implement better standards to make our roads safer for our teens and all drivers, educational materials like these will play a vital role in reducing the amount of traffic accidents in our community,” said Rep. Matsui.
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