Our campaign to make driving safer has found great support from a welcome corner: America's teens.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16TH, 2009 AT 3:27 PM
Teens Leading the Way in Campaign to End Distracted Driving
Posted by Secretary Ray LaHood
Our campaign to make driving safer has found great support from a welcome corner: America's teens.

This weekend, Teen Kids News, a television program with teen reporters, will feature a segment by teens for teens on the dangers of distracted driving. I'm impressed with their commitment to solving this problem. TKN airs across the country in many of the nation's markets: you can find a channel near you and its air-time here.

Right now, on the Teen Kids News website, they're featuring a video report called "Driving Safety for Kids" that shows the risk and prevalence of distracted driving. The report would be good enough, but the fact that they've got it featured at the top of their home page is even better.

Folks, while we wait for employers around the country to follow President Obama's lead with policies to reduce employee distracted driving, the kids are taking it to the airwaves.

On hotnewz.tv, another news outlet with young reporters speaking to a young audience, they're showing a great video segment telling youth about the Drive To Life PSA challenge, which I've already written about in this blog. We've got that video embedded below.

These efforts by our young people really give me hope. We know that teens are less-experienced drivers, and we know that they are inclined by habit to use the technologies that distract drivers.

And now we know that they are becoming true partners in our efforts to stop this deadly practice.


Ray LaHood is Secretary of Transportation