Two teens stand together holding a sign promoting seat belt use, with text stating most teen drivers wear their seat belt, from a 2024 Texas safety report.

YTS Report Reinforces the Positive for National Teen Driver Safety Week

Two smiling teens are holding a large banner with a seat belt icon and the text: "Click! Be Your Own Hero." One of them is also holding a small sign displaying "0.0." The background has a green geometric pattern, and bold black text at the top reads: "Most teen drivers wear their seat belt." Below, the text says: "Youth Transportation Safety Report: Texas Trends, 2024." Logos for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Youth Transportation Safety Program, and "Teens in the Driver Seat" are placed at the bottom.
Most teen drivers wear their seatbelt, as highlighted in the Youth Transportation Safety Report: Texas Trends, 2024.

National Teen Driver Safety Week, scheduled for Oct. 20–26, 2024, is an initiative dedicated to educating parents and teen drivers about the dangers of distracted driving and other critical risk factors. Vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death for youth under 25 in Texas and the U.S., and young drivers have a higher crash rate than older, more experienced drivers, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The goal of this week is to raise awareness of the challenges teens face behind the wheel, but also highlight the positive behaviors of our youngest road users.

Texas Trends 2024, a Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) Report, highlights positive trends in teen driver attitudes and behavior. Most Texas teens drive sober and distraction-free, but there is still work to be done. There’s a critical gap between what teens know and what they practice when it comes to driving safety. Despite recognizing the risks, the disparity between teens’ attitudes and behaviors remains a pressing concern.

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Teens in the Driver Seat® (TDS) program, a YTS initiative, is tackling this issue by offering practical solutions to over 1.2 million teens across more than 2,200 schools. As the first peer-to-peer program for teens focused solely on traffic safety that addresses all major risks for this age group, TDS empowers young drivers to influence their peers on safe driving practices. This approach has proven effective in addressing key risk factors, such as distracted driving and impaired driving, by involving teens directly in promoting safe driving habits.

YTS’s success is evident through its various initiatives:

  • TDS All-Stars: An incentive program recognizing schools and students who excel in spreading safety messages.
  • You in the Driver Seat App: Encourages safe, distraction-free driving among young drivers, showing improved safety scores among long-term users.
  • Zero Hero Activity: Focuses on increasing seat belt use and reducing distracted driving and walking, with significant participation from Texas high schools and junior highs.
Two hands fastening a seat belt. The text on the seat belt strap reads: "78% of teen drivers always wore their seat belt in the past 30 days." The background features a green, geometric pattern, with logos from Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the Youth Transportation Safety Program, and "Teens in the Driver Seat" in the top right. At the bottom, the caption reads: "Findings from the Youth Transportation Safety Report: Texas Trends, 2024.
78% of teen drivers are making safety a priority by always wearing their seat belts. A positive step toward safer roads, highlighted in the Youth Transportation Safety Report: Texas Trends, 2024. 

“National Teen Driver Safety Week reminds us of the importance of traffic safety for youth across the U.S. and gives us an opportunity to recognize where work is still needed. We can also use this time to reinforce positive behaviors for our model teens and parents, who save lives every day by making safe choices on our roads,” says Lisa Minjares-Kyle, TTI associate research scientist and YTS program manager. “Ultimately, traffic safety is a year-round effort, but during this time, we’d like to highlight some of the misperceptions out there about teens and also share some tools available to empower them towards safer decisions.”

Text reads: "There's more work to be done, model safe behavior." Below is an image of a seat belt, symbolizing safety, with the message: "Buckle up every rider, every time." The background features a green geometric pattern, and at the bottom, it says: "Youth Transportation Safety Report: Texas Trends, 2024." Logos for Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the Youth Transportation Safety Program, and "Teens in the Driver Seat" are displayed at the bottom right.
Model safe behavior: Buckle up every rider, every time. Youth Transportation Safety Report: Texas Trends, 2024.

National Teen Driver Safety Week presents an opportunity to address the disconnect between teens’ perceptions and actions. By leveraging peer-to-peer programs like TDS, states can effectively engage teens in driving safety efforts year-round. For updates and more information on how YTS is making a difference during National Teen Driver Safety Week, follow their social media channels @teensdriverseat.