Seeking to reduce teen driver deaths.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has launched a national campaign to help curb the leading cause of death among young people, a problem that could worsen as the population of teenagers increases significantly. The campaign--Licensed to Learn: A Safety Program for New Drivers- targets the high rate of crashes and fatalities among novice drivers aged 15 to 20 and calls for a series of key action steps. The campaign will be coordinated by AAA clubs in all 50 states.

"Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds and are responsible for nearly one-third of the deaths in this age group," AAA president Robert L. Darbelnet points out. "Yet, in a survey conducted by AAA, only 22% of 1,000 respondents identified traffic crashes as the greatest threat to teenagers.

Almost half listed the biggest risk as drug addiction, which ranks 28th among all causes of death for persons in this age group."

Drivers 15 to 20 years old account for seven percent of the driving population, but are involved in 14% of all fatal traffic accidents and nearly 20% of total crashes. More than 6,300 drivers and passengers aged 15 to 20 died in traffic crashes in 1996--an average of more than 17 deaths each day. Fatalities could soar to 7,500 per year by 2012--more than 20 per day--as the number of young drivers increases by 25% in the next 15 years. The problem extends beyond teenage drivers to the young people riding with them. Two-thirds of teen passengers killed were in...