TDOT & TDOS Partner to Keep Teens “Between the Barrels” at Middleton High School

NASHVILLE--- The Tennessee Department of Transportation and Tennessee Highway Patrol will present the “Between the Barrels” program to two high school Driver Education classes at Middleton High School on Tuesday, January 26, 2010. The Between the Barrels program helps educate teen drivers about safe driving practices, especially in highway work zones. The goal of the Between the Barrels program, which is geared to students who are just learning to drive, is to save lives and help reduce the chances of a teen driver being involved in a dangerous work zone crash.

 

As part of the presentation, Chief Lynn Webb with the Middleton Police Department will discuss the importance of the Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move over or slow down when passing emergency vehicles stopped on the shoulder of the roadway. 

 

WHO:              TDOT, THP Safety Education

WHAT:           “Between the Barrels” Presentation

WHEN:           8:00 a.m & 9:50 a.m. Tuesday, January 26, 2010

WHERE:         Middleton High School

Since the 2008-09 academic year, the successful TDOT “Between the Barrels” program has reached thousands of students in more than 150 schools with the compelling visual message—“When it comes to driving, there’s no such thing as beginner’s luck.” In 2009, preliminary statistics indicate 48 teen drivers were killed on Tennessee roadways compared to 72 teen drivers in 2008. Overall, 90 teenagers were killed on Tennessee roadways compared to 113 teenagers who lost their lives in 2008.

 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car crashes are the leading cause of fatalities among teens in the United States. Nationally, teen drivers (ages 13-19) are at a four times greater risk for crashes than older adults and are involved in 15 percent of fatal crashes, but make up 6.7 percent of the total driving population.

 

For more information on Teen Driver Safety visit http://tn.gov/safety/pubsafety/teendriversafety.html.