National Teen Driver Safety Week

As the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, car crashes by teen drivers need to be taken seriously and discussed healthily.

National Teen Driver Safety Week raises awareness about this issue and brings opportunities to have important conversations about safety!

History of National Teen Driver Safety Week

The inaugural celebration of National Teen Driver Safety Week took place in 2007 when the event was established by the United States Congress.

The initiative was introduced following a series of tragic accidents involving high school students in Pennsylvania, as two congressmen along with more than 50 co-sponsors worked to bring the bill to life.

Since that time, this annual event has been supported by traffic safety experts, hospitals, teen organizations, schools, and government agencies, including the United States Department of Transportation.

The hope for the week is to shine a spotlight on teen driver safety and increase the messaging around this important topic.

How to Celebrate National Teen Driver Safety Week

With plenty of opportunities for education and advocacy that can help save lives, National Teen Driver Safety can be observed in a variety of ways, including some of these ideas:

Learn Facts About Teen Driver Safety

As an awareness event, one of the focuses of Teen Driver Safety Week is to create more opportunities for informing the public – especially teens, along with their parents, teachers, and other influential adults.

In honor of this event, consider some of these facts and statistics related to teen driving and safety.

• The leading cause of teen deaths is motor vehicle accidents
• Drivers who are age 16 have the highest rate of crashes, with one in five of 16-year-olds having an accident in their first year of driving
• 90% of teens report that it is common to see another teen talking on a mobile phone while driving
• The risk of accidents for teens increases among those who have teen passengers and the risk gets higher with more passengers

Access Teen Driving Saftey Week Resources

Many different organizations, including auto groups, legal experts, teen advocacy groups, and more, provide a range of resources and toolkits in support of National Teen Driver Safety Week.

These toolkits can be found online, including access to digital posters and other media, training videos, teen driver statistics, parents’ guides, and more.

Host a Teen Driver Safety Event

An excellent way for schools, community centers, and other groups to get involved with National Teen Driver Safety Week might be to schedule some activities and events during the week that teens and parents are invited to attend.

Host Q&A sessions, informational talks, or an expo that invites stakeholders to host booths where they can share their resources.

Other events celebrated by Days of the Year that are connected with National Teen Driver Safety Week include National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, Drowsing Driving Prevention Week in early November, and Older Driver Safety Awareness Week in early December.