FRANKLIN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Northwest Regional Highway Safety Network, the Pennsylvania DUI Association, S.A.D.D., and Pennsylvania State Police today partnered with Rocky Grove High School officials to present a National Teen Driver Safety Week program.

Rocky Grove High School students spent a portion of the day touring three stations, each one offering information on the dangers and possible consequences of impaired and distracted driving.

Among the highlights of the program was a visit by the DUI Victim’s Memorial Trailer. Students were given the opportunity to tour the trailer and read the names of more than 3,000 Pennsylvania DUI crash victims.

The event also included a safety presentation by Mary LaKari of the Traffic Injury Prevention Project, student-use of an impaired and distracted driving simulator provided by State Farm and UPMC Hamot, and the signing a crashed car as part of a pledge to drive safely.

Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 16- to 24-year olds.

The number of registered drivers age 16 to 19 in Pennsylvania last year was 424,198. Of them, 17,530 were involved in a crash in 2016.

Of particular concern is the spike in the number of Pennsylvania crashes involving distracted drivers of all ages. In 2014, there were 14,017 crashes involving at least one distracted driver. The number increased to 14,853 in 2015. In 2016, there were 16,056 crashes involving distracted drivers, a 14.5 percent increase from 2014.

In 2007, Congress established National Teen Driver Safety Week as a way to raise awareness to young driver’s elevated crash risk. This year’s observance runs from October 15 to 21. The focus is to remind teens that driving is a privilege not a right, therefore, they must maintain the correct attitude about driving in order to maintain safety.