They may be the first words all young drivers hear – keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. It's still very good advice, but today cell phones and text messages are competing for the attention of teenagers on the road.
Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) has teamed up with the National Organizations of Youth Safety (NOYS) to help keep young drivers from becoming distracted drivers.
Ford was a lead sponsor of the NOYS Distracted Driving Prevention Leadership Team, which recently attended the National Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, D.C. The summit was hosted by the U.S. Department Transportation, which reports a quarter of all teens admit to texting behind the wheel. In 2009, the highest proportion of distracted drivers in fatal crashes was under the age of 20.
Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary, said: "The young leaders selected to participate will be safety ambassadors to their communities, and their mission to educate peers and help others make smarter choices will save lives."
The 20 youth leaders from NOYS are using safety materials, such as the recently developed Ford DSFL distraction prevention guide called The Academy, to create best practices for teens for implementation in their local communities. The Ford DSFL team is working with NOYS youth leaders to help them develop their programs to fight distracted driving.
"Driving safely takes concentration and focus which can be difficult for an inexperienced driver who can be easily distracted by music, friends or a hand-held phone," said Jim Graham, manager, Ford Driving Skills for Life. "We help them develop essential skills and learn to tune out or turn off distractions to keep them safe."
For more on distracted driving click the box to the right.
