National Teen Driver Safety Week is this week.
The week is set aside each year and is dedicated to raising awareness and seeking solutions to the number one cause of teen deaths in Iowa and across the country. Todd Olmstead, Youth Coordinator for the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau says nationally there were 1,972 teen drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2015, of which Iowa lost 52 young drivers under the age of 21. Owner of Triple R Driving School in Knoxville, Ryan Rump, tells KNIA/KRLS News he tells his students to put themselves in the best situation to be safe and to understand that the decisions they make behind the wheel doesn’t just affect their lives, they affect other people’s lives as well. The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau encourages parents to talk to their teen driver about safe driving practices.