Every year, thousands of teenagers die in traffic crashes around the United States
The Washington area has seen several teenagers die in crashes in the last few months. That's why News4 is broadcasting a four-part series designed to help parents and teenagers better understand the risks and responsibilities of getting the behind the wheel.
"They have no fear and they don't understand the consequences and they don't understand the risks they take," said Capt. Jesse Bowman of the Fairfax Police Department.
David Butler was 15 years old. He played on the Duval High School football team. He had dreams of becoming a star in the NFL. Those dreams were lost when the car he was in crashed on Whitfield Chapel Road in Lanham, Md.
Laura Lynam was 17 years old and a top student at T.C. Williams High School. She had plans to go to Yale and to become a doctor. That was not to be. Laura Lynam was killed when an SUV overturned on Interstate 95 near Springfield, Va. There were seven teens in the car at the time.
Alicia Betancourt was 16 years old and a talented artist. Her work had already been published. Betancourt was a gifted and popular student who was killed in a crash on Norwood Road in Silver Spring, Md.
"For every person who dies, there are maybe three or four patients who are left with a permanent disability, which is something that is actually not talked about," said trauma surgeon Dr. Carnell Cooper.
There's a bridge in Fairfax County that residents call death row. The site has been the scene of many serious crashes. Many of the crashes ended in death. Many of the victims were teenagers.
One car was so mangled you can't tell what make and model it was. It was a Mazda driven by a 16-year-old. He's dead. He died after his car hit a tree while he was apparently street racing.
The driver of another car was an 18-year-old girl who was killed when her Honda collided with a van. Who's at fault here? Police say it's still under investigation.
"I think that young females are now engaging in the same risky, aggressive behavior that young males did for many, many years. They're driving faster cars and they're driving more aggressively than ever before," Bowman said.
There are several online resources designed to help teenagers and parents understand the importance of safe teen driving. Tips, tools and more information can be found at the following sites:
Dying 2 Drive AAA Mid-Atlantic National Institute For Highway Safety National Safety Council DriveHomeSafe.com TeenDriving.comCopyright 2004 by nbc4.com. All rights reserved.
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Teens Die In Crashes
