Teens leading new driver safety program
BY SUZANNE LOUDAMY

Sarah Adams prepares for a press conference.

Across America, car crashes kill more teenagers than any other cause. This week, students from two East Texas high schools stepped forward to fight this national epidemic at the local level.

Student leaders from Robert E. Lee and Whitehouse High Schools held a news conference to launch "Teens in the Driver Seat," a peer-driven program from the Texas Transportation Institute that encourages teens to drive safely. Senior Sarah Adams, as Student Council president, will be spearheading the program on the Whitehouse campus.

More than 16 young people die every day in crashes across the United States, and October is statistically the most dangerous month of the year for teen drivers and passengers, according to TTI. Institute researchers attribute the crashes to inexperience, combined with one or more of the five main risks that plague young drivers: driving at night, distractions (cell phones and other teen passengers), speeding, low seat belt use, and alcohol.

Statewide sur veys have shown that young drivers and their parents are largely unaware of those risks and their consequences, and a recent survey of Whitehouse students reflected the same lack of awareness. Only 4 percent of students recognize that driving at night is risky, the survey revealed. That's par ticularly alarming, researchers say, with the end of daylight saving time coming on Sunday.

According to WHS Student Council sponsor David Bell, the program is already under way at WHS. Student Council has made posters for display in the hallways and common areas. "Bracelets with reminders about this program, enlightening teens about the risk factors, have been distributed," Bell said.

"Periodic spot checks in the parking lots will be conducted to see if improvement is made on minimizing some of the risk factors (seat belt use, cell phone use, etc.)," Bell stated. "In the spring another survey will be conducted to see if the knowledge base has improved. At sporting events, from time to time, booths will be set up to inform the public about the risk factors. All this will be undertaken by the students, wearing a distinctive jersey which highlights the program."

Teens in the Driver Seat, offered to area schools at no cost through support from the Texas Department of Transportation Tyler District, is the first peer-to-peer driving safety program in the nation. Tyler and Whitehouse are among the first cities in Texas to adopt the program. Unlike any other safety initiative targeting young people behind the wheel, TDS involves teens directly to help develop and deliver the right message.

TTI provides the science, program materials and background support for the TDS program, while each student group determines on its own how the program will work in their school.

At Lee and Whitehouse, student groups are designing their own programs, which will be showcased on the TDS web site.