As prom and high school graduation celebrations begin, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety would like to remind parents and caregivers about the importance of talking with teenagers to reinforce teen driving laws. Traffic crashes are said to be the leading cause of death for Minnesota teens. The number of teen traffic deaths during the 10-year period of 2001-2010 was reported at a total of 346. “The main reasons teenagers are over-represented in crashes are inexperience and risk-taking. But the biggest reason they die is not buckling up,” says Gordy Pehrson, youth programs coordinator at DPS Office of Traffic Safety. “Parents have a great responsibility to be engaged and monitor their teens’ driving, especially during their first year of driving when there is the greatest risk of crashes.” Some topics the DPS offers parents to talk about with their driving teens are the life-saving importance of seat belts and the dangers and consequences of speeding, distracted driving and alcohol use. Parents are urged to reinforce driving laws such as belt use, passenger limitations, no cell phone use and no texting. The DPS also wants to remind parents and teens of the rules and consequences of underage drinking. There were more than 4,200 “not a drop” convictions and 7,596 underage DWIs during the years of 2008-2010, in which both result in hefty fines and jail time. With numbers that high teens need to be reminded to buckle up, keep bottles out of the vehicle and drive safely. Also, parents, teens; communicate, don’t let a night of fun mark your record forever.
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