Media Advisory: Between the Barrels Visits Rutherford County

NASHVILLE --- Governor Phil Bredesen has proclaimed April 19-23, 2010, Work Zone Awareness Week in Tennessee. The Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will deliver the “Between the Barrels” presentation to 1200 high school students at Oakland High School in Rutherford County, Tuesday, April 20, 2010. This Between the Barrels presentation is one of several planned in Tennessee to remind teens of the dangers of distracted or dangerous driving in work zones.

 

As part of the presentation, Commissioner Dave Mitchell and Colonel Mike Walker will deliver remarks. Trooper Rodney Redmon, who narrowly escaped serious injury when he was struck by a move over violator June 12, 2005, 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., Tuesday, April 20, 2010

 

WHERE:          Oakland High School, Rutherford 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 48 teen drivers were killed on Tennessee roadways compared to 72 teen drivers in 2008. Overall, 93 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.