FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2004

CONTACT: L/Cpl. JOSEF ROBINSON, 803-737-8374

 

HIGHWAY PATROL BEGINS ENFORCEMENT/EDUCATION CAMPAIGN 

FOCUSED ON KEEPING TEENS SAFE ON THE HIGHWAYS

 

COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Highway Patrol today began a special enforcement campaign focusing on teen drivers from now until the end of school to ensure that teens get a safe start to their summer. The three-week enforcement/education campaign will focus on 15-19 year old teen drivers.

 

The campaign posters show a patrol car, ambulance and hearse and pose the question, “Final Exam: If You Drink and Drive, Which Ride Will You Take?”

 

“The poster is a stark reminder of the three rides we absolutely do not want teen-agers to take,” said Col. Russell Roark, Highway Patrol commander. “To get teens on the way to a safe summer, I am directing every trooper, regardless of rank, to work shifts on the road during the last three weeks of May because saving teen lives on our highways is priority one,”  

 

Last year, 103 teen-agers died on South Carolina highways – 98 of those were vehicle occupants. So far this year, 28 have died; 26 of those were motor vehicle occupants.

 

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-19 year olds both nationally and statewide. Teen drivers are more likely to be involved in injury/fatality crashes more than any other group of licensed drivers. While teen-age drivers 15-19 make up 6.6 percent of South Carolina drivers, they were responsible for 7.6 percent of collisions in 2002. Speed, alcohol and inattention are the primary causes of teen fatal collisions.

 

“We are not out to write tickets or scare teen-agers,” Roark said. “However, we do want teen drivers to understand that if they break the law, they will be ticketed. Our message is simple, “slow down, buckle up and keep your eyes on the road.”

 

The Highway Patrol has launched a competition among Class 1A-4A and Independent Schools to urge students to take the Safe Driving Pledge. A winner will be chosen based on percentage of pledges in each class. The Highway Patrol will present an award to the winning high schools this Fall.

 

The Highway Patrol is also asking church groups, businesses, other law enforcement and government agencies to get involved in disseminating the word about the campaign and getting as many teens as possible to take the pledge to drive safely.

 

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To view a copy of the pledge or for more information about the campaign, log on to www.schp.org/finalexam.

Media are encouraged to place a link to this site on your web site.

 

 

 

Teen Driving Facts / Statistics

In South Carolina:

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20 year olds.
• Teen drivers are more likely to be involved in an injury/fatality related crash more than any other group of licensed drivers.
• From 2001-2003, 84 people have been killed and 845 injured as the result of a collision involving an at-fault teen driver with alcohol.
• Teen-age drivers (15-19) make up 6.6 percent of South Carolina drivers and were responsible for 7.6 percent of collisions in 2002.
• The primary contributing factors in collisions involving South Carolina teens include: excessive speed, aggressive driving, wrong side of the roadway and driving under the influence.
• In 2003, 98 teens 15-19 years old were killed in vehicle collisions; only 23 were buckled up; of the 2,422 injured, only 1,543 were buckled up.

Nationally:

• In 2003 (nationally), nearly two-thirds of teen (ages 16-20) passenger vehicle occupants killed were unrestrained.
• Nationwide, teen-involved collisions are on the rise. In 2002, 8,278 15-20 year old drivers were involved in fatal crashes, a 12 percent jump from 1992. Driver fatalities for this age group jumped by 21 percent during that time period.
• In 2002, 24 percent of the young drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes were intoxicated. The severity of a crash increases with alcohol involvement.
• The number of drivers 15 to 20 years old involved in fatal crashes who were intoxicated dropped by seven percent between 1992 and 2002.
• For young drivers 15 to 20 years old, alcohol involvement is higher among males than females.
• Drivers are less likely to use restraints when they have been drinking.
• Teen-age deaths due to motor vehicle accidents occur weekends 53 percent of the time.
• Teen drivers killed in motor vehicle collisions had a youth passenger in the automobile 45 percent of the time.
• Of teen drivers fatally injured in automobiles, more than one-third was speed-related collisions.
• On the basis of current population trends, there will be 23 percent more 16-20 year-old drivers on the road in 2010 than there are today -- 26.1 million.
• This age group makes up seven percent of licensed drivers, but comprises 14 percent of fatalities and 20 percent of all reported collisions.
  --Information adapted in part from DriveHomeSafe.com, South Carolina Department of Public Safety Office of Highway Safety.

Sherri Iacobelli