Getting behind the wheel of a car can be an exciting new step in a teen’s life. But along with that
excitement comes a new responsibility – understanding the need for common sense and maturity to
avoid accidents. In an effort to spread awareness to teens across the nation,
the Allstate Foundation sponsored a Keep-the-Drive Summit at Sunset Station on January 23rd.
Students from Kennedy and Alamo Heights High schools participated in the summit which was held here
for the first time.
The goal of the year-long effort is to educate teens on the rules of safe driving and the severe
consequences that can result if those rules are not followed, and then have them communicate that
information to their peers.
The students watched videos that told them about the numbers of teenage driving injures and deaths.
They listened to the videos as students from other cities shared their stories of how their
reckless driving affected not only their lives but also those of their passengers.
“We are trying to create awareness in high schools across the country,” said Westerman,
an Allstate representative. “We focus on changing how teens think behind the wheel.”
According to the presentation, more teens die in automobile crashes in the United States each year
then from drugs, violence, smoking and suicide. An average of 16 teens die every day in motor
vehicle crashes and nearly 40% of those are caused by speeding. Texas is the state with the most
teen driving deaths according to the presentation. Students agreed that the statistics that the
statistics were amazing and made them think twice about how they drive.