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State Says Teen Driving Initiatives Working
Kids and cars can be a deadly combination. After 15 young people from Tazewell County died in 2005 and 2006, initiatives to get teenagers to urge their peers to drive safely are helping bring the fatality numbers down, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Mike Stout, IDOT's director of traffic safety, says 153 teens lost their lives on the state’s roads in 2007. That number dropped to 93 last year and, for the first seven months of 2009, to 45.

Stout says while teenagers often tune out parents and teachers, they will listen to their peers. He says that is why programs such as Operation Teen Safe Driving work. He says the kids come up with slogans such as "If You Text, You May Be Next" and "Could You Live without Me?"

High school groups can apply for grants of $2,000 apiece. Ford and Allstate underwrite the program through their foundations.

On the Web:
www.teensafedrivingillinois.org

(Illinois Radio Network)
10 21 09 by Newsroom
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