Media Advisory: Between the Barrels Visits East Robertson High

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will deliver the “Between the Barrels” presentation to 400 high school students at East Robertson High School in Robertson County, Friday, January 8, 2010. The safe driving program, which is geared to students who are just learning to drive, aims to reduce the chances of teens being involved in a dangerous work zone crash.

 

As part of the presentation, Captain Tony Barham and Sgt. Harold Gooding will stress teen driver safety and the importance of the Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move over or slow down when passing emergency vehicles on the roadway.

 

WHO:              TDOT & THP Safety Education

 

WHAT:            “Between the Barrels” Presentation

 

WHEN:             9:00 a.m., Friday, January 8, 2010

 

WHERE:           East Robertson High School, Robertson County

 

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 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.

 

In 2007, there were 189 teen drivers involved in 179 fatal crashes in Tennessee resulting in 193 deaths. In 2008, this figure decreased to 137 teen drivers involved in 132 fatal crashes resulting in 149 deaths. In 2008, statistics indicate a 32 percent decline in teen fatalities from 166 in 2007 to 113 teenagers who lost their lives on Tennessee roadways in 2008.

 

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