Let’s Make an Impact on Teen Drivers in Arizona
Impact Teen Drivers & AZTroopers
Impact Teen Drivers (ITD) and AZTroopers have been working together to help reduce and eliminate preventable collisions. In February 2018, Retired Sergeant Kevin McNichols facilitated two separate Train the Trainer classes on the ITD What Do You Consider Lethal? program. In cooperation with California Casualty Insurance, ITD, Tucson Police Department, and Huntington University, the AZ Troopers trained over 30 new instructors. Since retiring, Sergeant McNichols has been able to spend a number of hours working with local insurance companies and their clients, local schools, hospitals, and the health department to reach out to a number of teen drivers. If you are interested in becoming an instructor, or having the program brought to your community group or school, reach out to Impact Teen Drivers at www.Impactteendrivers.org or by phone at 916.733.7432. They can put you in touch with an instructor nearby.
- Impact Teen Drivers (ITD) seeks to educate, engage, and empower teen drivers to stop the #1 killer of teens in America- 100% preventable car crashes—particularly those cause by reckless and distracted driving.
- Car crashes have been the leading cause of teen fatalities in America for decades and roadway fatalities and serious injuries have been on the rise over the past few years.
- We want people to understand that anything that takes your hands on the wheel, your eyes off the road, and/or most importantly your mind off your driving is distracted driving.
- We want people to make our roadways safer for all of us by reducing their speed, putting all distractions aside, and wearing a seatbelt properly every ride.
- Our evidence-based program “What Do You Consider Lethal?” teaches teens and parents what is really lethal to them isn’t snakes, spiders, or serial killers, but what is really dangerous to teens at this point in their lives is poor decisions behind the wheel—whether as drivers or passengers.
Teen driver crashes are the leading cause of death for our nation’s youth. The overwhelming majority of these crashes are caused by inexperience or distractions, not “thrill-seeking” or deliberate risk-taking.
%
Percent of teen fatal crashes do not involve alcohol or drugs.
%
Percent of teenage passenger deaths in 2009 occurred in vehicles driven by other teens. (Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, 2009)
%
Percent of 11th grade drivers reported at least one crash over the past year, including 5 percent who experienced two or more crashes.
teens ages 15-19 lost their lives in crashes. (Centers for Disease Control, 2009)
teens killed each year in preventable collisions, 50% of them are not wearing seat belts and nearly 50% are passengers.
%
Teenage passenger deaths in 2009 occurred in vehicles driven by other teens. (Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, 2009)
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are one of the primary causes of death of teens outranking other prevalent causes of death, such as disease, violence, and other bodily injuries.
Test your knowledge and take the Impact Teen Drivers Impact Quiz: ANSWERS IN BOLD
The leading killer of teenagers is...
- Suicide
- Drug Related
- Motor Vehicle Crashes
How many teens die on average every day in car collisions?
- 6
- 11
- 15
Who is least likely to wear seatbelts?
- Adults
- Senior Citizens
- Teenagers
Three passengers in a car _______ the risk of a crash in a car driven by a teen.
- Doubles
- Triples
- Quadruples
What percent of distracted teen drivers who caused fatal collisions were using a cell phone?
- 11%
- 21%
- 31%
Texting takes your eyes off the road for 3 – 5 seconds. On the freeway, how many yards are you traveling over that time?
- 100
- 50
- 200
Using safety belts can help reduce the risk of fatal injury by:
- 25%
- 50%
- 75%
One study found that ______ percent of fall-asleep crashes involved 25 year olds or younger.
- 20%
- 55%
- 75%
Using a cell phone while driving decreases driving-related brain activity by what percent?
- 66%
- 55%
- 75%
Approximately ________drivers are using cell phones or electronic devices while driving at any moment.
- 660,000
- 500,000
- 1 million
Arizona Class G Drivers License
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Want to be a Trainer?
Resources for Trainers
Gradulate Drivers License
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13th Annual Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws (Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety)
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Graduated Driver Licensing Night Driving Restrictions and Drivers Aged 16 or 17 Years Involved in Fatal Night Crashes (CDC)
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Current Knowledge on Adolescent Driver Distraction – Journal of Adolescent Health
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Curry Testimony NJ Assembly Transportation Committee
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GDL and Teen Cell Phone Ban Lives Saved Estimate Summary
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GHSA Teen Distracted Driving Report
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GDL Night Driving Restrictions and Drivers Aged 16 or 17 Years Involved in Fatal Night Crashes – United States, 2009-2014
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The Allstate Foundation License to Save Report
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AAA Report on Measuring Cognitive Distraction in the Automobile
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NSC Motor Vehicle Fatality Estimates
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Cost of Motor Vehicle Crashes to Employers – NETS 2015 Report
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NHTSA 2015 Face Sheet
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GDL Past and Future
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Mission Not Accomplished: Teen Safe Driving, the Next Chapter
Printable Materials
First Responders
10 Step Facilitator Guide
The 10 Step Guide is Impact Teen Drivers Guide 101. It provides a step-by-step tutorial in how to engage teens in a 60-minute presentation, including two-way dialogue about distracted driving. You will watch videos, spin the probability wheel, learn about graduated driver licensing, and more. It is a great tool for anyone who is eager to address reckless and distracted driving as it is straightforward, and easily adaptable to fit different styles of presentation/facilitation.
› Go to 10 Step Facilitator Guide
Impact Your School | Comprehensive Curriculum and Discussion Guide
Impact Your School is the comprehensive guide to Impact Teen Drivers’ curriculums, guides, and outlines. Included are the 10 Step Guide, additional discussion questions, middle school presentation guide, and elementary curriculum.
Elementary School Curriculum
Although elementary-aged children are years away from obtaining their licenses, it is never too early to promote safe driving. The elementary curriculum focuses on appropriate passenger behavior—not yelling and screaming at a driving parent for example. This document contains the curriculum for elementary age children, which includes engaging and informative lesson plans, scenarios, activities, and discussion topics.
› Go to Elementary School Curriculum
Middle School Curriculum
Middle-school-aged children are a great population to engage in discussions about safe driving, because although driving may be on the distant horizon, it is still in sight. They are also at a crucial age to embrace the responsibility as a passenger. Statistically, middle school is when children start being driven more by people other than their parents—big brothers and sisters, friends’ siblings and parents, etc. This document contains the curriculum for middle schoolers, which includes engaging and informative lesson plans, scenarios, activities, and discussion topics.
› Go to Middle School Curriculum
Lesson Plan for Multiple Subjects
There are 7 great lesson plans that address specific topics related to reckless and distracted driving that are easily incorporated into classroom learning. These are ideal if you want a lesson that corresponds with the subject you already teach, or if you simply prefer to tackle an issue on an individual basis rather than all at once. Included in these lesson plans are: Defensive Driving, History, Persuasive Essay, Physics, Positive Decision-Making Behaviors (great for law-enforcement officials that wish to engage high school students without doing too much orating), Risk Factors, and Role Playing. Also featured on this page are lesson plans from the Centers for Disease Control, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and Discovery Education.
Downloads
Interactive Education Modules
Latest Updates from our program…
Walden Grove High School
Spoke at Walden Grove High School on Monday and Tuesday, May 14-15. 6 classes 150 students were in the classes.
Create Real Impact Contest
Impact Teen Drivers created the Create Real Impact Contest to ask young drivers, ages 14-22, to show how they would talk about the very real problem of distracted driving. Teens and young adults enter to win cash and prizes by showcasing art, music, video and creative...
Today, I spoke with 75 5th graders about being good passengers
Retired AZTroopers Sergeant Kevin McNichols - Impact Teen Drivers instructor "Today, I spoke with 75 5th graders about being good passengers. Most of these kids have older siblings driving. Next week, I get to share 'What Do You Consider Lethal?' with their older...
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- BUCKLE UP! It takes two seconds. Almost half of those that lost their lives in collisions last year would be alive if they would have had their seatbelt on.
- LIMIT ALL DISTRACTIONS. TURN OFF YOUR CELL and DON’T TEXT. Using your cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk. Remember every day behaviors can become deadly when done behind wheel (e.g. talking to friends, adjusting the radio, putting on makeup, eating the burger)!
- SLOW DOWN! Obey posted speed limits. The faster you drive the higher your odds of a fatal crash.
- LIMIT YOUR PASSENGERS. Each passenger increases the risk of a fatal crash by almost 100%.
- FIND YOUR VOICE. Speak up if you feel unsafe. Save a life – yours or your friends’.
