Officials urge caution for young drivers

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The month of August can be considered one of the worst months for teen drivers and Kentucky is the deadliest state for teenage drivers, with the highest teen driver fatality rate in the nation according to Value Penguin by Lending Tree.

As students head back to high school and college, they may be in a hurry in order to be on time.

Teen drivers may also be transporting younger siblings or friends in their vehicle with them.

This can all cause teens to be distracted or reckless.

“If you are driving 70 mph, which is the speed limit on the Natcher and other highways, in three seconds, you travel a football field. A lot can happen in a football field,” Trooper Daniel Priddy, Kentucky State Police said.

According to the CDC teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations. Teens are also more likely than adults to make critical decision errors that lead to serious crashes.

“Decisions that teens are making can affect not only them but many, many other people around them,” Deb Howard, Museum Educator at National Corvette Museum, said.

Parents are the first line of defense, and officials encourage parents to talk with your teens about distracted driving and its consequences.

The National Corvette Museum will soon be offering their second Driver Safety Awareness Day this Fall in partner with the Kentucky Safe Driver Program to promote safe driving skills and awareness to the teen drivers in our area.