Parents Urged to Regulate Teen Driving During Deadly Summer Months

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2005 -- Traffic safety experts today called on parents to regulate their teens' time on the road more closely this summer, as the end of the school year marks a time when inexperience behind the wheel turns into injury and death for many teenagers.

The "Summer Safety Challenge" was issued by Drive for Life, a project of Volvo Cars of North America, AAA, the National Association of Police Organizations and the National Sheriffs' Association, with technical support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Challenge urges parents to:

  * Sign a summer contract with their young driver.
  * Make time to supervise driving practice.
  * Introduce the driving privilege gradually.
  * Limit their teen from riding with inexperienced drivers.
  * Reduce distractions, including limiting passengers.
  * Limit nighttime and weekend driving.
  * Require their teen to obey the law: Revoke the privilege if they speed,
    drink and drive.

A Drive for Life review of five years of teen-fatality traffic data from NHTSA confirms the summer months -- July and August in particular -- are the most deadly months of the year for teenagers.

"Each month in summer, we lose the equivalent of an entire high school class on America's roads," said Dr. Jeffrey W. Runge, NHTSA administrator. "Parents must understand the added risk and set limits that can save their young drivers' lives."

Teen traffic deaths peak in the summer, when teens log more hours behind the wheel than at any other time of the year. During the summer, teens are more likely to drive at night -- some for the first time -- and with multiple passengers.

Traffic crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for 15-20-year olds. Not only do teen drivers have higher death rates than older drivers, but teen passengers' death rates also exceed those of older passengers.

"Summer is not the time to take a vacation from participating in your teen driver's development," said Susan Pikrallidas, vice president of Public Affairs for AAA. "It's the time to become extra vigilant about when and with whom your child drives."

For the full version of this release and tips on how to keep a teen driver safe this summer, including a sample driving contract, visit http://www.driveforlife.com/ .