May 14, 2008

Legislature Proclaims Safe Teen Driving Month

Teens Urged to Sign “Driving in the Safe Lane Pledge”

The Nassau County Legislature’s Presiding Officer Diane Yatauro and her legislative colleagues joined forces this month in urging the County’s teenaged drivers to make a commitment to driving safely and responsibly. Teenagers in high schools throughout Nassau County were also asked to sign the Community Parent Center’s “Driving in the Safe Lane Pledge” which includes among other safety precautions the teen’s promise to wear a seatbelt, limit the number of passengers in the car, obey the speed limit and not using a cell phone while driving. To further emphasize the importance of driving safely, the Nassau County Legislature, with one voice, declared the month of May as “Safe Teen Driving Month.”

This initiative is undertaken by the Legislators as the “100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers” approach. Including Memorial Day, May is the time for proms, graduation parties and the onset of summer vacation. Unfortunately, it is also the time when tragedy strikes and families are forced to cope with the death of a teenager in a car accident.

Presiding Officer Diane Yatauro (D-Glen Cove) said, “Safe Teen Driving Month is very important every day of the year. If by drawing attention to the need for teen driver safety we prevent one traffic accident, we have begun a successful endeavor.”

Wendy Tepfer, the director of Community Parent Center whose members created the concept of the “Driving in the Safe Lane Pledge, said, “We applaud the Nassau County Legislature for taking this action today in its effort to increase public and teen awareness of the dangers of unsafe driving. We ask teens, parents and schools to take proactive measures to ensure smarter and safer driving practices as we move into the 100 deadliest days—the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day—when teen driving crashes and fatalities increase. Teens should sign the Driving in the Safe Lane Pledge which states they will abide by ten safe driving practices to promote responsible driving.”