The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday will kick off its annual teen driver safety week campaign.
This year, NHTSA is warning teens: “Keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and both (hands and eyes) away from your cell phone while driving.” Officials said this year’s campaign — which runs Oct. 17-24 — is geared toward schools to “create a culture of safety, and educate students on the dangers of distracted driving.” NHTSA officials also encourage schools to make it clear to students that they expect no talking or texting on cell phones while driving on school grounds.
According to a recent report from NHTSA, in 2009, 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways and an estimated 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving. The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group, and 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving.
