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DHSMV and Florida Celebrities Encourage Teens to Drive Safely

15 December 1998

Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Florida Celebrities Encourage Teens to Drive Safely

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Dec. 15 -- The Department of Highway
Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) and the Allstate Foundation targets teen
drivers with the release of a public service message that it takes experience
to make safe decisions behind the wheel of a vehicle. Three public service
announcements (PSAs) begin airing today on cable TV stations in Florida.
    Helping promote the message, "Experience Eliminates Errors," are race car
legend, Richard Petty and Heismann Trophy winners Charlie Ward and Danny
Wuerffel.  They each donated their time to make the announcements so teen
drivers might pay more attention to the dangers while driving.
    "We feel very fortunate that individuals of this caliber were willing to
help us get a positive and important message out to teen drivers in Florida,"
says Sandra C. Lambert of DHSMV.  "We are thankful for the time they donated
and believe that teens will be inspired by what they have to say," she said.
    Vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens in this country.  The
Florida legislature passed the graduated licensing program in 1996. Graduated
licensing allows teenagers to earn their driving privileges gradually to
provide them more driving experience.  This has resulted in fewer crashes and
deaths on the streets and highways of Florida.
    Although 2.2 percent of all Florida's drivers are between 15 and 17 years
old, they are responsible for more than five percent of all crashes and almost
four percent of the drivers in fatal crashes. In a given year, one in 15 teen
drivers in Florida will be involved in a crash.
    Additional information about the laws governing all drivers, including
teens, is available on the Department's web site at:
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us.