A scary fact this Halloween season: The number one cause of death for teens (15-18 years old) in the United States is motor vehicle incidents. Parents, please talk to your teens about the important rules they need to follow to stay safe behind the wheel.

Rules for teens to follow:

1. No alcohol
2. No passengers
3. No speeding
4. No distracted or drowsy driving
5. No cell phones
6. ALWAYS wear your seatbelt

North Dakota Statistics from Vision Zero:

• Young driver inexperience, coupled with immaturity, often results in risk-taking behaviors such as speeding, alcohol use and not wearing a seat belt – all of which contribute to an increased death rate.
• Nearly every 5 hours one teen driver crash occurred in ND in 2020.
• Every 52 days one teen died in a crash in ND in 2020.
• In North Dakota, teen drivers age 14-19 account for 5% of all licensed drivers but are behind the wheel in nearly 20% of all crashes.
• Over the past 5 years in North Dakota, 34 teens have died in vehicle crashes.

Here’s the good news: Incidents are preventable! October 16-22 is National Teen Driver Safety Week, a chance for parents and organizations like the NDSC to raise awareness and prevent teen injuries and deaths on the road.

At the NDSC, preventing injury and death is our daily work. Our Alive at 25 defensive highly interactive driving course is designed specifically for drivers under the age of 25. Alive at 25 is different than traditional driver’s ed because it focuses on behavior, judgment, decision making and consequences, and provides tools for making positive choices. Alive at 25 is offered throughout North Dakota and virtually.

And remember! Parents play a huge role in keeping teens safe, by staying involved and modeling safe driving behaviors.

For more information contact Terry Weaver, Driver Safety Manager (701) 751-6106 or terryw@ndsc.org

Resource: Vision Zero North Dakota, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Teen Driving Risks | Teen Driver Source