Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death among young drivers. In Lincoln/Lancaster County, there were 25 fatalities and 1,536 type A and B injuries in 1999. In 1998, there were 24 motor vehicle deaths. Youth-related crashes took nine lives in 1999 and five in 1998; and there were 432 and 431 type A and B injury crashes each year, respectively. Youth behavior surveys indicate that only 36 percent of students always wear safety belts, and 21 percent admitted to driving after drinking within the last 30 days.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Youth project is to reduce the rate of youth-related fatal crashes by three percent and decrease injury crashes by five percent. The objectives are to:

• Implement at least four Youth Driver Training Programs (YDTP) throughout the year; and
• Survey 90 percent of YDTP teens after YDTP participation.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

In an effort to reach the program goals, the project staff implemented the following strategies and activities:

• Set dates and times to hold four YDTP sessions.  

• Developed pre- and post-evaluation tools.

• Developed a workbook that expanded on driving homework and reflected changes made in the young driver curriculum created for the program.

• Conducted presentations on child safety seats, booster seats, and alcohol-related prevention programs.

RESULTS

The following table represents crash data for licensed 16 to 20 year old drivers:

The crash rate for 16 to 20 year old drivers has decreased each year for the last four years. In 1999, there were only 21 motor vehicle crashes in Lincoln/Lancaster County involving alcohol for drivers in that age group. None of the YDTP participants were in an accident or received an alcohol or drug use violation.