Teen Driver Safety Week starts today

Teen Driver Safety Week will begin today and lasts until Saturday, the Governor's Council on Impaired & Dangerous Driving and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute announced.
In 2008, Indiana had 136 fatal crashes involving drivers ages 15-20, according to a press release.

“While our ultimate goal is to save lives, education remains an important component in teaching teens the importance of safe driving,” executive director of ICJI Neil Moore said in the release.  “Teen Driver Safety Week provides the perfect opportunity for communities to address this issue and better educate young drivers about potential dangers they may face behind the wheel.”

Research has shown that distractions are a major cause of collisions, according to the release. In Indiana, distractions were a contributing factor for 2,493 teen drivers involved in accidents in 2008.

In July, Indiana introduced new requirements for drivers under age 18 because that age group is more likely to be involved in a collision, according to the release.

To learn more about research and recommendations for teen drivers, visit www.ridelikeafriend.com.