Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) students and teacher/sponsors gathered on Thursday, May 6, for the second annual TDS Day at the Capitol.
The group gathered to honor outstanding TDS teams and exceptional teacher/sponsors who won SponStar awards. Honorees received the VIP treatment from Secretary of State Hope Andrade, her staff and TDS staff.
The Day at the Capitol also included a news conference led by TDS Director Russell Henk, State Representative Larry Phillips (vice chairman of the House Transportation Committee), and TDS Teen Advisory Board members Ashley Thompson and Fernando Sosa.
The news conference released TDS findings that distractions, not alcohol, are contributing to a steady increase in nighttime fatal crashes for teen drivers.
The analysis that produced the report examined the effect of lighting conditions on crashes from 1999 to 2008 in all 50 U.S. states, along with the presence of alcohol as a factor in those crashes.
Among the findings:
- The proportion of nighttime fatal crashes increased for all drivers, but went up slightly more for teenage drivers than for drivers age 20 and older.
- Alcohol use as a contributing factor increased for older drivers, but decreased slightly for teen drivers.
- The increase in nighttime fatal crashes contrasts with a decrease in overall crash fatalities nationwide during the same period.
The 2009-2010 TDS Teen Advisory Board held their final meeting, while the 2010-2011 Teen Advisory Board had their first meeting and began their term at the Day at the Capitol.
Congrats to all award winners, and thanks to everyone who helped make the second annual Day at the Capitol a huge success.
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