Teens Encouraged To Avoid Texting, Alcohol Consumption For Safe Driving

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- This is National Teen Driver Safety Week, which is a time to highlight the potential dangers on the roads.

But this week, and every week, the roads are often loaded with teen drivers -- but you can't often tell from a glance.

At 16, Jillian Kerr's been on the road for about a year. Her mom seems to have just the right amount of concern.

"As the parent of a new driver, my biggest concern is safety. Whenever she goes out without me or my husband, we're nervous," says Jillian's mom Sharon Cooper-Kerr.

Jillian isn't helping her case.

"When I first started driving I was very confused honestly," she says.

But she quickly realized besides doing all the safety stuff they teach you, there is no substitute for time behind the wheel, practicing, seeing new situations, and respecting the dangers involved.

"So every time I get behind the wheel of my car I always think what's the worst thing that could happen and to me that's getting into a fatal accident," says Jillian.

And though sobering, that makes mom happy.

"I just want everyone to be safe and cautious. We really enforce not drinking and just having very few people in the vehicle with you so you're not as distracted," says Cooper-Kerr.

AAA says there is one sure way to reduce teen deaths and injuries.

"We are seeing that tragically, about 1 in 5 young people involved in fatal crashes have alcohol in their system," says Ragina Averella, with AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Seat belt use, alcohol avoidance, and no texting are all considered crucial to making the road safer for teen drivers.

For more information about National Teen Driver Safety Week CLICK HERE.

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