May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month

Car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the U.S. and summer is a particularly deadly time of year for teen drivers. In fact, 6,000 youths die every year in car crashes in the U.S. That is an average of 16 a day. Crashes take more lives of our youth than alcohol, drugs, violence and suicide. Youth traffic safety is no accident and steps can be taken to help protect youth and encourage them to stay safe on the roads.

This spring, in honor of National Youth Traffic Safety Month (NYTSM) in May, teens across the country will Act Out Loud and raise their voices about this important issue. Ten teams were selected to execute projects in their schools and communities and document their experiences on team blogs through photos, videos and stories. People across the country will have the opportunity to vote on their teams’ activism projects. Their votes will determine which teams and their respective schools will win the $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 prizes.

The National spokesperson for Act Out Loud is Lucas Grabeel, best known for his role as Ryan Evans in the Disney Channel hits "High School Musical" and "High School Musical 2."

NYTSM is the perfect time to remind parents and teenagers about the Teen Safe Driver Program. Thousands of teens are already enrolled in the program and lives are being saved daily because of it. Results are dramatic and immediate. On average, teens reduce the frequency and severity of high risk driving events by more than 70 percent in the first six weeks. Driver seatbelt use improves from less than 40 percent to an unprecedented 100 percent – and passenger seatbelt rates increase dramatically too.

Every month should be National Youth Traffic Safety Month. But, since it’s not, please do your part to help ensure teen lives are saved throughout the year.