Dear Parent –
Your child, has made the SmartDrive Click4Life PLEDGE to BUCKLE UP – EVERY TRIP – EVERY TIME and to always use seat belts.
SmartDrive – a program of the Delaware Safety Council, the Delaware Office of Highway Safety and the Delaware Department of Education are committed to Teen Driver education and safety programs to reduce the number of teen deaths and injuries on our highways.
Please consider these facts when speaking to your child, and other family members, about seat belt use:
- Teen drivers and passengers have the lowest rate of seat belt usage of any age group. This campaign is here to improve their chances whether behind the wheel or simply riding in a motor vehicle.
- The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other agencies report that 7 out of 10 teens who died on America’s roadways in 2016 WERE NOT USING SEAT BELTS.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) report that in 2015, 2,333 teens in the United States ages 16–19 were killed and 221,313 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes in 2014.
That means that SIX TEENS (ages 16–19) DIED – EVERY DAY from motor vehicle injuries – and 600 MORE required emergency room visits – EVERY DAY of the year.
Research from the AAA Foundation has found that lap/shoulder seat belts, when used properly, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. In light trucks, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent.
In addition to pledging their own dedication to using Seat Belts and BUCKLE UP – EVERY RIDE – EVERY TIME, your child has pledged to remind family members, friends and others with whom they are riding in a motor vehicle, to also use their Seat Belts and BUCKLE UP – EVERY RIDE – EVERY TIME.
SmartDrive hopes that you will support your child in keeping this PLEDGE, by offering them encouragement and sound advice on keeping safe in and around motor vehicles, and,
Should the situation arise where they call you for help, that you act in the best interest of your child first and make sure they are safe, before beginning any “discussion” about them getting into an unsafe situation.
We are sending you this notice as we want you to know that your child has pledged to be safe when driving or riding in motor vehicles.
It is the approach of SmartDrive to notify the parent/guardians of students who interact with our online programs as part of our policy of promoting Internet Safety for minors and providing personal information through our website and other means.
If you wish to opt out of having your child receiving messages from SmartDrive – please send email to: info@smartdriveusa.org In your email message, include the student’s full name, the name of their school and the student email address you wish to have removed from future SmartDrive mailings. Should your student engage in a future SmartDrive activity, you will again need to notify us to discontinue mailings. If you have further questions, please call the SmartDrive HELPLINE at 888.553.6543
If you wish to support SmartDrive in our awareness and educational mission to save Teen Lives by reducing the number of teen-involved motor vehicles crashes, please visit SmartDriveUSA.org or call Stacey Inglis, Executive Director of The Delaware Safety Council, at 302.276.0660.
The Delaware Safety Council is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Established in 1919, DSC has been providing programs to reduce and prevent Teen Deaths and Injuries in motor vehicle crashes since the 1940’s. Your support does make a difference. Click here to make a gift today.