May Is Global Youth Traffic Safety Month
Dori Saves Lives is committed to traffic & road safety including our most precious cargo, our children!
Global Youth Traffic Safety Month urges all of us to help spread awareness and make the summer safe for youths' by putting away our phones when we drive, buckling up, choosing the safest route available, and only driving with those with whom we feel safe!
Sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), Global Youth Traffic Safety Month is an annual awareness campaign that encourages youth organizations to participate in traffic safety projects in their communities and promotes safe teen driving behavior.
Global Youth Traffic Safety Month was originally called National Youth Traffic Safety Month but, in 2011, the name and focus of the campaign were changed to promote and emphasize teen driving safety on a worldwide scale.
Global Youth Traffic Month every May brings the grim reminder that traffic crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for teens.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers, and the summer months are especially dangerous for teens on the road. An average of seven teens die every day in traffic crashes throughout the U.S.
A Parent's Responsibility
Parents play a major role in encouraging their teens to drive safely!
Young people mimic their parents' behavior, which is especially true when it comes to behavior behind the wheel. From the time they are very young, our kids watch how we drive and when it's their time to drive, they often do what they've seen their parents do. If they've grown up watching us speed, roll through stop signs and drive while using our phones, they are more likely to become dangerous drivers.
Here are a few simple things parents can do to help ensure their teens become safe drivers:
First, learn about your state's GDL laws. GDL restrictions vary from state to state, so familiarizing yourself with the restrictions placed on your teen's license can help you enforce those laws. Parents should follow GDL laws to establish important ground rules for your teen driver such as restricting night driving and passengers, prohibiting driving while using the phone or other electronic devices, and requiring seat belt use at all times.
Parents should talk to teens about the dangers of drug and alcohol use. Remind them that it is illegal to drink under the age of 21, and it is illegal—and deadly—to drink and drive.
Don't rely solely on a driver's education class to teach your teen to drive. Driver's education should be used as part of a GDL system, which in most states requires teens to have 30 or more hours of behind the wheel practice with a parent or other adult in order to qualify for a driver's license.
And finally, be a good role model. Your child looks to you as a driver, so practice safe driving yourself.
Remember that your teen's learning starts at home, watching the way you drive and learning from your driving behavior!
The Dori Slosberg Foundation has free videos and other resources to help parents talk to their teens about safe driving behavior.
The Dori Slosberg Foundation, Inc. doing business as Dori Saves Lives is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity founded in 2004 and produces traffic safety programs on distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving, driver proficiency, pedestrian safety, and a host of other safety issues. Programs are free of charge to schools, police, traffic safety advocates, community groups, libraries, and more. Dori Saves Lives also sponsors contests to engage teens and adolesants in promoting safe driving to their peers and in their communities.
