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Klobuchar Convenes Summit on Teen Driving Safety

Top Federal Safety Official Speaks to High School Students

June 1, 2010

OAKDALE (Tuesday, June 1, 2010) – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar convened a Teen Safe Driving Summit at Tartan High School in Oakdale that featured keynote speaker David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  NHTSA is the federal agency responsible for preventing and reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes.

Klobuchar serves on the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees NHTSA and traffic safety issues.

The Teen Safe Driving Summit brought together high school students and parents with law enforcement and driving safety advocates.

“Our focus is simple,” said Klobuchar.  “What can we do to save the lives of our teenagers?  As we were reminded this spring by a series of fatal car accidents with teen drivers, the tragic reality is that traffic crashes are the leading killer of teens, in Minnesota and nationwide.  Mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as other drivers.”

Between 2006 and 2008, there were 118 Minnesota teenagers who died as a result of traffic accidents.  Another 577 Minnesota teenagers suffered serious injuries.

Klobuchar cautioned that, even with stronger laws and tougher enforcement, it will take more to reduce crashes involving teen drivers.

“To make a lasting difference, it’s going to take all of us working together – law enforcement, educators, parents and teens,” she said.  “Ultimately, what we need is a change in what society views as acceptable and unacceptable behavior.  We can’t just say ‘kids will be kids’ when lives are at stake.”
 
Klobuchar is already a cosponsor of several pieces of federal legislation to promote safe driving.  These include the ALERT Drivers Act, which would withhold part of a state’s federal highway funding if it fails to enact a law prohibiting texting while driving; and the STANDUP Act, which would establish federal graduated licensing requirements for teen drivers.

At the summit, Klobuchar announced that she will soon introduce new legislation with North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan.   The Students Taking Action for Road Safety (STARS) Act would support statewide initiatives to involve schools, communities, parents and teens in improving traffic safety. 

In addition to Klobuchar and Strickland, participants in the Teen Safe Driving Summit included:

-      Kim Norton, State Representative from Rochester and chief author of Minnesota’s teen driving law;

-      David Brand, Winona County Sheriff;

-      Jane Phillips, mother of a Minnetonka High School student who was killed as a result of distracted driving by a teenager;

-      Phua “Tashie” Xiong, president of the Tartan High School Chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD). 
 
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