KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The number one killer of teenagers is car crashes. That's according to federal health studies and a report by Zutobi, a driver's education company.
Haley Sandstrom has been involved with Students Against Destructive Decisions, or SADD, for 4 years and she plans to continue once she goes to college. She said SADD has helped her and her friends make smart decisions, especially while driving.
"For me, personally, my car never starts before all seat belts are buckled and everyone's in their seat," said Sandstrom. "So I see my friends start to take those same actions, and they won't drive until all the seat belts are buckled and everyone is in their seats. So it's kind of like a ripple effect, and it's super rewarding to see that."
Samantha Talarico, the Communications Manager of SADD, said the organization's peer-to-peer model works.
"We want our students to be the face, first people who are out in these communities, encouraging from a peer-to-peer level that we need to make better and healthier decisions," said Talarico. "Especially within the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer, we want our youth to know that we have their back whatever they need, whether it's programmatic, material, mentorship or anything else — that they have a full support system that is ready and willing to help them find that voice for themselves."
Sandstrom agrees. She said hearing something from someone her own age makes her more likely to listen.
"I know, personally, if my friend tells me something, I'm 100 more times likely to listen than if my parent was to tell me the exact same thing," said Sandstrom. "So we just need those strong core youth leaders to have a passion and have a drive. We have so many people on our Student Leadership Council who do say, 'Hey guys, this is wrong, especially in a time like this, like the 100 Deadliest Days where the fatal car crashes for teens are at the absolute highest.' We need those friends and those peers in the car to say, 'Hey guys, buckle up.' Or, 'Hey guys. I don't know if we should be doing that right now.'"
Samantha has tips for new and seasoned drivers who are hitting the roads. For example, she said if it's raining too hard, young drivers should pull over.
"We do know that someone who's under the age of 18 is eight times more likely to engage on their phone in an interactive driving situation. So, putting down that phone and just focusing on the road, these are all really important stats that just range true for a very long time," said Talarico.
Talarico also wanted to remind teens it's okay to drive during the 100 Deadlies Days of Summer and have fun, but said they should do it safely.