California has over 800,000 licensed teenage drivers, and thousands of them are involved in fatal or injury-causing accidents every year.
To combat this issue, the California Highway Patrol has obtained a federal grant of $950,000 to fund its Teen Distracted Driving program.
To address the growing concern of distracted driving, the education program incorporates CHP officers and traffic safety advocates at school and community events around California.
The start of the year-long program coincides with National Teen Driver Safety Week, which runs from October 20 to 26.
According to the CHP, motor vehicle crashes remain the primary cause of mortality among youths aged 16 to 19 in the United States.
“Teens face an even greater risk of crashing due to the lethal combination of inexperience and distraction, which can lead to lifelong consequences,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee stated in a news release.
He stated that the CHP is dedicated to promoting awareness among teen drivers through a combination of education and enforcement. The CHP wishes to ensure that teenagers “understand the critical importance of giving their full attention to driving.”
From October 1, 2021, to the end of September 2022, 195 teenagers were engaged in a distraction-related crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Common distractions include talking to a passenger or pet, using a phone, eating, smoking, grooming, reading, and listening to the radio.
The California Office of Traffic Safety funded the program through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
