We, the Lobo Staff, are concerned about unsafe teen driving.

Although it affects millions of teens across the nation, in the past couple of months, there have been many tragic losses and physical harm due to these vehicle accidents within our own school community.

Various victims in these accidents are current students or students who attended our school in the past years.

Not only do these accidents affect the victim’s family members, but also their friends who cared very much for them.

We ARE in control of our own actions and we can all do our part toward being more responsible while driving in order to reduce or avoid these tragedies.

According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, one of the main reasons for teen deaths is vehicle accidents. In 2002, more than 5,000 teens ages 16 to 19 died of injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.

So, what are the causes for so many teen auto accidents? Alcohol and drug use, choosing not to wear seatbelts, drowsiness, speeding, and a lack of experience.



What can we do to avoid these tragedies?

One way, is to communicate with our parents. Let them know where we will be and ask them if we could count on them to pick us up in case of an emergency.

Yes, it might be “lame” for our parents to pick us up, but at least we’ll be returning home safely.

If our parents don’t understand our situation, we can ask another family member or another adult we trust. We may be able to count on them more than our friends sometimes.

Another way to avoid such disasters is to take caution and wear our seatbelt. According to national teen statistics, in 2001, two-thirds of teens died from not wearing a seatbelt.

A third way to avoid an accident is to make sure we have a well-rested night and have caught up on our sleep. Drowsiness may equal impairment.

Fourth, DON’T SPEED! Of teen drivers fatally injured in automobiles, more than one-third was due to speed-related accidents.

We know you might have a nice car, but are the potential devastating consequences worth showing off?

Finally, let’s make sure we have all the experience we can get.

This means not to drive without a license before the required age and get appropriate driving education.

There is no need to rush; remember that patience is a virtue! In fact, our patience could save someone’s life.

In conclusion, we ask that all teen drivers simply must be more responsible at the wheel.

Trust us; no one likes to cut their family or friends’ obituaries out of the newspaper!