Take charge when you take the wheel.  Be alive at 25.
Did you know?  Traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 44% of teen deaths in the U.S.

• Teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes at more than twice the rate of all others
• The first year for a newly licensed teenage driver is the most dangerous, with more than one in five involved in crashes
• Each year nearly 6,000 teens are killed in vehicular accidents; more than 3,800 are drivers age 15-20
• Annually, more than 326,000 teen drivers are seriously injured --some are left paralyzed for life
• 134 motorists under age 17 were killed in Florida in 2008; 83 (62%) were not wearing safety belts; 56 of these were ejected from the vehicle
• More than half the deaths occurred on the weekend between Friday and Sunday; 41% occurred at night between 9:00pm and 6:00am
• Exceeding the posted speed limit or driving at an unsafe speed is the most common error in fatal teenage accidents
• More than 1,000 young drivers lose their lives each year in crashes because of an impaired driver (themselves or someone else)
• Although teen drivers represent only about 7% of the nations’ licensed drivers, they are involved in nearly 15% of all fatal crashes

Research shows the leading cause of teen driver accidents involve one or a combination of the following factors:

• Lack of awareness about the consequences of risk-taking behavior
• Driver error or inexperience with complexities of driving conditions
• Peers or other distractions in vehicle with the teen driver
• Driving as a social activity, not taken seriously
• Impaired or drowsy driving, especially at night
• Speeding or driving in unsafe conditions

As a teen driver or passenger, you can greatly reduce your risk by taking charge of your own actions or the situation. Make the commitment to learn good driving skills and/or change your driving behavior to a positive!  This commitment to protecting yourself makes good personal, legal. and financial sense. The consequences are just not worth it.  Take charge when you take the wheel.