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May is Global Youth Traffic Safety Month. The purpose of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month is to bring safety advocates together every May to focus on the prevention of vehicle crashes, the No. 1 cause of death for teens. It is a partnership campaign between NOYS (the National Organization for Youth Safety) and the NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). 

Since the beginning of 2017 there have already been terrible teen accidents involving fatalities. Following are just a few of them which happened in March and April: 

• A teenage girl was killed and eight other people were injured in an alcohol-related crash in Pinellas County in March. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), an 18-year-old was driving a Dodge Caliber with 4 teenaged passengers when he ran a red light and collided with a Ford pickup truck with 3 occupants. Troopers said another driver aged 22 was making a left turn when the accident happened. Authorities say alcohol was involved in the deadly crash.

• A Lee County teen died in a crash on Fort Myers Beach in late March. He began to approach a dead end at Bowditch Park Center just after midnight but did not stop, causing his vehicle to hit a concrete curb before slamming into a tree. According to the crash report, the teen was not wearing a seat belt. 

• In late April, a 19-year-old driver involved in a crash in Lehigh Acres was killed when the driver failed to stop at a stop sign on Sunniland Boulevard near the intersection of Lee Boulevard and drove into the path of another car. 

Most teens look forward to prom, graduation and the beginning of summer fun activities. What most teens and parents do not know is that this is also the deadliest season for youth on the roads. 

NOYS says: 

• 66 percent of teen passengers who die in a crash are not wearing a seat belt.
• 58 percent of teens involved in crashes are distracted.
• 25 percent of teens drive under the influence of marijuana, alcohol or prescription drugs.
• 55 percent of all crashes where a driver fell asleep involved drivers age 25 and under. 

A study by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia confirms that distracted driving and inexperience, and not reckless driving, are the leading causes of fatal car accidents involving teen drivers. The study found that of nearly 800 serious accidents 76 percent were the result of teen driving errors that likely could have been prevented with the help of additional training and distracted driving awareness programs. 

The GHSA (Governor's Highway Safety Association) says that every state has a prescribed amount of time that teens must be supervised while driving which may include additional hours for night driving. Florida requires 50 hours of supervised driving in the learner stage of which 10 hours must be night hours. Additionally, new drivers are restricted from driving during the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. 

What Can Parents Do to Prevent Teen Vehicle Crashes? 

The NSC (National Safety Council) recommends that parents practice with teen drivers. This is the best way to build experience. NSC says to start with the basics. Make sure your teen can: 

• Make a turn properly
• Accelerate smoothly
• Brake without making the vehicle jerk forward
• Back up without taking out the mailbox 

After covering the basics, NSC says to move on to more advanced skills such as scanning the road or driving on the highway. If parents ride with their teens enough, they will know what may need to improve. 

The NSC offers the Digital Driving Coach Program to help parents in helping their teens learn to drive. The 52 lessons in the program are reviewed by a driver education professional designed to help parents move through basic skills and then on to more complex skills. The program can be accessed at: http://driveithome.org/digital-driving-coach/ 

What Can Teens Do to Prevent Vehicle Crashes? 

When teens are given the privilege of driving, they are also given the responsibility of driving safely, keeping their passengers safe and sharing the roads. NOYS encourages teens to get involved in spreading the word about the risks involved in teen driving by taking on community projects addressing traffic safety issues such as: seat belt use, driving under the influence, and sleep deprivation. The NOYS website has a teen action guide which can be accessed by clicking on: Guide. 

"We at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. want to take this time during Global Youth Safety Month to remind parents to spend time with their teen drivers. We have seen the devastation caused by vehicle crashes and hope to eliminate as many as possible," said Port Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney, Randall Spivey.

Port Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney - the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by less than 2 percent of Florida attorneys. He has handled over 1,500 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839, or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com. Visit SpiveyLaw.com  for more information. You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.