North Side High students get a lesson in teen driving safety
JACKSON, Tenn. — Students at North Side High School got a lesson in driving safety on Wednesday.
“If you are distracted then it could turn out bad,” Michael Brooks, a junior, said.
The high energy program taught teens how to prevent crashes. They focused on seat belt safety plus the dangers of drunk and distracted driving.
“It’s not okay to text and drive,” North Side High School Assistant Principal Dionne Springfield said. “We know they want to answer the text messages really quickly, but they need to be cautions of what they’re doing while they’re driving.”
Students answered trivia questions about pop culture and driving regulations.
State and federal statistics show so far this year more than 22,000 Tennessee traffic crashes involved drivers under 21-years-old.
“Stay focused on the road,” Springfield said. “Wear your seat belt. No texting and driving.”
AAA said distracted driving is the number one cause of teen driver crashes and teen passengers are the number one distraction for teen drivers. “Try not to have my phone out while I’m driving,” Brooks said.
The Tennessee Highways Safety Office and Nissan North America sponsored the training for schools in high-crash areas.
Deadly crashes involving teens jumped 10-percent in 2015, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association. This is also National Teen Driver Safety Week.
