FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS ADVISORY
October 17, 2014
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Alabama Attorney General
Claire Haynes (334) 242-7351
Page 1 of 2
AG STRANGE ANNOUNCES ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE
NATIONAL TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK OCT. 19-25
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Luther Strange is partnering with
community groups, law enforcement, and safety organizations to promote October 19-
25 as National Teen Driver Safety Week.
The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org),
along with Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Governors
Highway Safety Association (GHSA), International Association of Chiefs of Police
Foundation, National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), and the National
Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), are sharing a dynamic teen driver safety program called
IKnowEverything for National Teen Driver Safety Week, with information available at
http://iknoweverything.com.
Developed to prepare teens to be safe when they get behind the wheel,
IKnowEverything is an integrated effort that highlights the issues of drunk driving and
distracted driving, and it reiterates to parents that they have the most influence on their
teen’s driving behaviors. This spring, the IKnowEverything Challenge events tested
teen driving safety knowledge among more than 2,000 high school students in urban,
suburban, and rural communities across the nation. Less than half of teens received a
passing grade.
“It is important that we call attention to the dangerous and tragic results that
careless and unsafe driving can have for teenagers,” said Attorney General Strange.
“They need to be aware of the real and terrible risk of death or serious injury to
themselves, their loved ones, or innocent bystanders. Working together, we can raise
awareness and educate teenagers about safer driving practices.”
Attorney General Strange urges parents and communities to help spread
important safety messages during National Teen Driver Safety Week. Suggested
activities include:
- Encourage parents to watch our video with their teen, available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS5lUZR6iKs.
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- Join a Twitter Party on Tuesday, October 21 at 9:00PM EST with Mom It
Forward, found at http://momitforward.com.
501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov Page 2 of 2 - Encourage your teens to use our Teen Driver Safety Action Toolkit, developed
with FCCLA, to advocate for teen driver safety in your community. The toolkit
is available at
http://iknoweverything.com/sites/default/files/files/IKE_Toolkit%20FINAL.p
df. - Use new research on distracted driving and teens in the supplement released in
the May 2014 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. This is available at
http://www.jahonline.org/issue/S1054-139X(14)X0002-9 - Follow the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibilty on Twitter and
Facebook to promote teen driver safety. Its website is
http://www.responsibility.org.
Attorney General Strange has been a strong advocate of teen driver safety. He
received the Century Council’s 2012 Leadership Award for efforts to reduce underage
drinking and drunk driving. At the LessThanUThink student-led campaign against
binge drinking held at the University of Alabama, the Attorney General partnered with
the Century Council, along with basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, to promote this
initiative. Attorney General Strange also was active in a national campaign to
discourage texting while driving and to educate young adult drivers about its dangers.
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