Teens in the Driver Seat® is the recipient of the 2011 Transportation Achievement Award in Safety by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Program Director Russell Henk was presented the award at the ITE Annual Meeting in St. Louis August 15. This is the second time that ITE has awarded Teens in the Driver Seat with the achievement award. The first time was in 2007.
Teens in the Driver Seat® is the nation’s first peer-to-peer program focusing solely on teen driver safety. Its goal is to prevent crashes by raising awareness of the top driving dangers for young drivers, and supporting teens’ efforts to develop and deliver safety messages to their peers. Student teams at more than 500 Texas schools have started Teens in the Driver Seat programs, reaching more than half a million of their peers with safe driving messages. Other states, including Connecticut, Georgia, North Carolina and California, are now implementing Teens in the Driver Seat programs.
“Most young drivers don’t know that they’re many times more likely to die in a crash than people in other age groups,” Henk says. “This award signifies the importance of what Teens in the Driver Seat® is all about — saving lives. It’s working, and we are all extremely proud and honored by the recognition the program is receiving.”