From the Director

 

Each year in the United States, more than 8,000 teens lose their lives in traffic crashes. The major reason teens are killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes are: lack of safety belt use, speed, distraction, impaired driving or lack of experience. To combat this problem in Illinois, Operation Teen Safe Driving (OTSD) was created.

Joining forces with the Ford Motor Company Fund, the Allstate Foundation and the Governors Highway Association, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich, Secretary of State Jesse White, Illinois State Police, Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Liquor Control Commission and RADD, partnered with the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Traffic Safety to create a statewide teen safe driving initiative. Applications were sent to all public and private Illinois high schools last year and the programs that teens developed were amazing!

We are proud to announce the 2nd year of Operation Teen Safe Driving applications will be available from the Illinois Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Safety at the end of August. All public and private Illinois high schools are encouraged to apply. Deadline for submitting an application is October 1, 2008. Selected high schools will receive seed money to combat the teen driving problem in Illinois.

Programs like this do make a difference. In the first six months of 2007, there were 82 teen fatalities due to traffic crashes in Illinois. During the same timeframe in 2008, 39 teens died, but there were 43 fewer fatalities than the previous year.

For more information, or if you have questions concerning this exciting teen program, please
e-mail us at, teen.safety@Illinois.gov or visit us at www.TEENSAFEDRIVINGILLINOIS.org. Come join us and make a difference!

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Michael R. Stout
Director