LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Motorcar crashes are the main explanation for demise for teenagers in line with Michigan State Police. That is why advocates nationwide are reminding households concerning the significance of secure driving habits throughout this Nationwide Teen Driver Security Week.
“I at all times wish to assume, like, your automobile, it may be a weapon,” stated excessive schooler Sara Zacharek.
Zacharek is encouraging her friends to assume extra about their function on the roads.
“You just really have to pause and realize that you’re responsible for everyone in your car and all these other people who you share the road with,” stated Zacharek.
She’s on the College students Towards Damaging Choices Pupil Management Council, and this week, their focus is constructing secure teen drivers.
“Every year we lose about 2,100 teens on our nation’s roads and highways, and this is due to a number of factors,” stated Zacharek.
Zacharek says probably the most frequent dangerous habits amongst her friends is distracted driving. In actual fact, the most recent knowledge from 2021 reveals greater than 18% of distracted driving crashes concerned drivers underneath 21, in line with the Michigan Workplace of Freeway Security Planning.
On high of that, the Michigan State Police urges teenagers to restrict their variety of passengers. It’s because studies present that with every further passenger, the chance of dying in a crash skyrockets.
“I think especially from a youth perspective, if one of your friends speaks up about an issue, you’re more likely to listen to it than if you’re seeing it on some other official website,” said Zacharek. “Speaking up about it, it just encourages others to just pause for a second and realize what they’re doing isn’t right.”
The Nationwide Street Security Basis says being a “back-seat driver” may save lives, and teenagers whose dad and mom set agency driving guidelines are much less more likely to be harmed in a crash.