Assessing the Effectiveness of the "Teens in the Driver Seat" Program in Texas (0-5657-S)

Nationwide, apporoximately 6,000 teens die in vehicle crashes each year- that is the equivalent of a commercial jet full of teens crashing to the ground once per week- costing the U.S. $41 billion dollars per year. It is, far and away, the number one killer of teens in America and accounts for 70 percent of teen injury deaths. To combat this growing problem, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) developed an innovative program entitled "Teens in the Driver Seat" (TDS), in which researchers have enlisted teen drivers themselves in the first peer-to-peer driving safety program of its kind. TDS involves the target audience (teens) directly to help develop and deliver the right messages. Early indications suggested that the idea is working, as TDS has taken root in several different parts of Texas, with several others reacing out to TTI staff for help in addressing a problem that kills more than 500 teen drivers and passengers in Texas each year. The goal of this research project was to assess the effectiveness of the TDS program in Texas.