In recognition of Teen Driver Safety Week, which was last week, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio
Department of Insurance are partnering to deter dangerous behavior on the road.
The agencies are using education, awareness and traffic enforcement.
Teen drivers are involved in a disproportionate amount of crashes.
From 2011-13, teen drivers were at fault in 99,132 traffic crashes. This resulted in 43,785 injuries and
288 deaths on Ohio roads, representing 9 percent of all fatal crashes during the same time period. Speed
is a related factor in more than half of crashes caused by teen drivers, and more than a quarter of
at-fault teen drivers were impaired by alcohol or drugs.
"Through our education, enforcement and awareness efforts, we are committed to keeping our young
drivers safe," said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director John Born.  "However, we need
everyone across Ohio to take action in their communities as we cannot do it alone."
While educating and raising the awareness of our teen drivers is extremely important, the patrol also
aims to change driver behavior through traffic enforcement. From 2011-13, 62 percent of the citations
issued to teen drivers were for speed-related violations and 17 percent were for failure to wear a
safety belt.
"Promoting responsibility, awareness and safety are incredibly important for our youngest
drivers," said Col. Paul A. Pride, patrol superintendent.
Teen drivers are encouraged to plan ahead to eliminate rushing from one location to another. They are
reminded to use safety belts and to encourage everyone in their vehicle to buckle-up, every time.