Do You Know with Whom Your Teen is Riding? |
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Melinda Lynam will never forget the day when she learned that her daughter, Laura, was killed in a crash as a passenger in a car with 7 teens including the 16-year-old driver. Under the Graduated Driver Licensing Law in Virginia, the driver was only allowed one extra person who wasn’t a family member. Unbeknownst to Melinda, Laura and her friends had decided to all ride in one car. Despite the driver’s age and restrictions, two mothers watched as their children piled into the car. Neither parent expressed any concern over the number of passengers or the inexperience of the driver. If they had, Laura might be alive today. Laura was a shining star, a senior in high school, adored by her family and friends. She was number one in her class, an amazing athlete and couldn’t wait to get the results of her application to Yale. Unfortunately, Laura’s tragedy is not unique:
- 2121 people were killed in crashes that involved a teen driver 15 to 18 years of age in 2018NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
- One AAA study showed that their risk of crash “increases by almost half when a 16- or 17-year-old driver has one teenage passenger; it doubles with two teen passengers; and it quadruples with three or more.” AAA
- According to researcher Elisa R. Braver, PhD, with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “Of all motor vehicle occupant deaths among teenagers, 46% are passengers at the times of their fatal crashes.” She continues, “almost two-thirds of these teen passenger deaths occur when other teenagers are driving.” WebMD
Now that we are reminded of some of the deadly consequences of teen driving, what can we as parents and other family members do to help prevent these tragedies and keep our young people safe?
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A Message from Candace
Have you ever had a dream? Something you really wanted to do but couldn't because you didn't know if you had enough support to make it a reality. I did and it wasn't Mothers Against Drunk Driving. I started MADD almost immediately after my daughter was killed because I was so angry at a system that tolerated impaired drivers and denied them accountability. But that is not the case with National Passenger Safety Week. I have literally dreamed of doing this for several years and it is finally happening! Our goal is to promote safe driving practices and prevent unsafe ones when we see them by empowering passengers to "SPEAK UP" when their lives are in danger from a reckless driver.
Why now? Traffic crashes are on the rise and the focus for the past 40 years or more have always been on the driver's behavior. We believe passengers are equally important and should do everything within reason to save their own life and, if possible, that of the driver. It is one of the reasons I launched the Courage to Intervene Promise.
During one of my University lectures, I asked the students how many of them had ridden with someone drunk, drugged or distracted. I was surprised at how many hands went up. When I asked why, several responded they weren't sure of what to say or how to handle the situation. I knew then we needed to find a way to educate passengers about how to save their own life. I didn't have the resources to make this happen, so I reached out to one of our partners, the National Road Safety Foundation, They were only too happy to help, the first step in making this dream come true. Michelle Anderson, Director of Operations, David Reich, Reich Communications, Inc., John Manocherian and Behrooz Shokati both board members and I started working.
We were soon joined by Melissa Valido, Coalition Leader, Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition, State Coordinator, Florida SADD, who designed our outstanding webpage and graphics. Brandy Axdahl, Senior Vice President, Responsibility Initiatives, Responsibility.org used her expertise in government relations to encourage states and members of Congress to draft resolutions declaring January 23- 30th National Passenger Safety Week. I am proud that the first state to jump on the bandwagon was California, my home state. Representative Vince Fong who is carrying our "crash not accident" bill introduced a resolution in the California House of Representatives, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 124. Other states have followed. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and Sam Graves (R-MO) will introduce the National Passenger Safety Week Resolution this week in Congress. To date more than 50 organizations have joined the coalition including the Governors Highway Safety Association and the National Safety Council. If your organization would like to join the coalition, contact me at Clightner@wesavelives.org and send your logo and URL.
My dear friend, Melinda Lynam agreed to share the tragic story of her daughter Laura, who was the only passenger killed in a car with 6 other teenagers, driven by a teenager. Melinda was instrumental in developing the downloadable checklist for other parents to use: Questions to ask your teen before they become a passenger.
We have already had some great press, thanks to David, including this informative article from STREETSBLOG USA. Our hope is that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will make this an ongoing event starting next year. Dreams do come true. Mine did thanks to a "village" of believers and fellow advocates.
Passengers can make a difference. They can save lives, especially their own.
One Courageous Voice
Can Stop One Deadly Choice
Have the Courage To Intervene.
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We need your support to help us keep you and your loved ones safe while traveling our roadways.
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