Mangano Announces National Teen Driver Safety Week

Drive Safely, Don't Speed, Don’t Text and Always Buckle Up!

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and Nassau County Traffic Safety join New York State in educating teens and parents on the importance of driving safely, not speeding, not texting and buckling up - both front seats and back seats - during National Teen Driver Safety Week which runs from October 20-26, 2013. Statistics indicate that car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens nationwide as teen drivers are involved in more crashes per mile driven than drivers of any other age group.

County Executive Mangano stated, “The law does not require those 16 and older to buckle up in the back seat; however, this campaign encourages teens to buckle up regardless of where they sit in a vehicle as well as drive safely by not speeding or texting. The statistics are startling as unbuckled teens are 24 times more likely to die or suffer a severe injury if they are ejected from the vehicle. Buckling up helps keep all passengers safe in their cars.”

National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW) was established by Congress in 2007 to focus attention on the number one killer of teens – car crashes. Held annually the third week of October, NTDSW raises national awareness of teen driver safety issues and seeks solutions to unnecessary teen deaths on the road. The national theme for 2013 is "It Takes Two: Shared Expectations for Teens and Parents for Driving" with the focus in New York State, “Click It Front and Back”, to encourage teens to buckle up and help reduce teen driving related deaths and injuries.

Mandatory seat belt use has been a law in New York State since 1985. The law requires the driver and front-seat passengers aged 16 or older to wear a seat belt or face a fine of up to $50 each for failure to buckle up. Each passenger under age 16 must wear a seat belt or use an appropriate child safety restraint system.

Statistics indicate that more than two-thirds of the crash deaths involving New York teen drivers occurred to someone other than the driver. The driving experience for teens has improved considerably since New York State instituted Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) and parents need to understand and enforce the provisions of this law which can be found at www.dmv.ny.gov/youngerdriver.