October and autumn have finally arrived for most parts of the country!

Research conducted by State Farm shows that October is the month with the most teen crash claims. Why is this? What’s the cause? Perhaps it’s because with the season comes with shorter days, hazardous weather conditions, and more after school activities. Personally, I find this time of year to be my busiest, and as a newly licensed driver. I find myself on the road more frequently to keep up with my busy schedule. This seems to be true for many of my friends and classmates too, and with more time on the road comes higher risks. Teens are especially vulnerable to distractions, impairment, and drowsiness, which makes any trip more dangerous.

Teens also lack experience behind the wheel. This makes even driving in perfect conditions a challenge. Even though there’s no true substitute for experience, my parents and I still work together on different skills that can help me be prepared for the unknowns of any trip. This preparation can include enrolling in drivers ed courses, reviewing state GDL laws, and establishing restrictions such as curfews and driving boundaries.

SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) works closely with State Farm to keep young people safe on the roads. In the third week of October, SADD and State Farm participate in National Teen Driver Safety Week. It is a time set aside to shine a spotlight on the #1 killer of teens - car crashes. In most recent studies, 3,255 teens ages 16-19 were involved in fatal car crashes. The most upsetting part about this statistic is that most all of these crashes are preventable. SADD students all across the country will be working with local State Farm agents to spread the word, educate teens and parents, and make sure everyone stays safe this October.

While this season is a fun time for many, we must work together to acknowledge the dangers of the road, specifically for teens. Teens - talk with your parents about good driving habits. Parents - monitor your teens to make sure they are safe behind the wheel. Simple decisions like wearing your seatbelt, putting down the cell phone, and limiting passengers can be the difference in making roads safer. Be safe out there and enjoy the colors of fall.

Teen drivers are still learning, and often mistakes on the roadway happen. These mistakes can result in traffic violations or worse, fatalities.

At any age, getting pulled over by an officer can be a scary experience. But, even scarier for a teen, is navigating the legal system.

The Seattle Youth Traffic Court (SYTC) provides an alternative for teens. They can appear before a group of their peers, who serve as judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, court staff, and jurors. The court meets once a month and usually hears approximately eight cases.

National studies show teens sentenced in youth courts are less than half as likely to make the same driving mistake in the future. There are 1,600 youth courts in the U.S. and approximately 20 in Washington State.

SYTC, funded in part by State Farm, is based on the concept of restoring justice. As part of their youth court sentence, the teen defendants may have to:

• complete community service hours,

• interview a police officer,

• write an essay, or

• write a letter of apology to the other motorist(s) involved in a fender bender.

All teen drivers who take part in this program must act as a juror at least once.

“There are so many benefits to youth courts - the public is safer by having more awareness of the dangers of inattentive or problem driving behaviors,” shared Margaret Fisher, one of the founders of SYTC from the Seattle University School of Law. “They have a chance to give back to the community for the harm they caused. They become better drivers themselves as they learn from the mistakes made by their peers.”

What about Sarah the speeder?

In February 2017, she took the stand, under oath, and shared her story. She underwent a cross examination as the peer jury listened intently. They asked questions about her grades, after-school activities, and questions about the speeding incident.

The prosecutor called an expert witness, Sgt. Ashley Price. She spoke about these types of infractions and ways to avoid them. Price is one of two officers assigned by the Seattle PD to serve as youth court expert witnesses.

Sgt. Price shared a story of a fatality crash she saw where speed was at fault. The assigned officers’ role is to offer a depth of impact and consequences of risky driving behaviors. Price concluded, "In their first year on the road, teens are almost 10 times more likely to be in a crash, so be safe out there."

Then the defense attorney questioned Sarah, "Who pays your insurance? Were there consequences at home?"

"My parents pay my monthly insurance bill and car payment," Sarah said. After a brief pause she continued, "My parents yelled a little bit. That was then followed by a sentence of a month of washing the dinner dishes, and being grounded from use of my car. I never want to get a ticket again."

In Sarah’s closing statement she explained she thinks she learned the behavior from her father. "Mom is always saying my dad has a lead foot, and he needs to not be in such a hurry everywhere," said the teen. "I asked my dad for tips how I can drive safer, so we both can be better drivers."

Did you know teens who say their parents set rules and pay attention to their activities in a helpful, supportive way are half as likely to be in a crash.

It was time for the jury to deliberate. After ten minutes, the jury had come to a consensus. The sentence:

• four hours community service,

• a one page single-spaced essay on the dangers of speeding, and

• participation in two future youth court juries.

"The students gain an unparalleled education and understanding of the legal system. They develop critical thinking, observation, and questioning skills in a meaningful way,” says Terri Cooper, Commissioner Cheney Municipal Court “These are real cases that effect real people their own age. More communities in Washington need Teen Traffic Courts.”

For their participation in youth court, Sarah completed her sentence and now has a clean driving record. The high school volunteers who heard her case received community service credits toward their graduation and are better drivers for their experience!

My name is Doug Darrell and I’m a retired police officer. One of my hardest duties as a cop was knocking on a door to tell a parent their child had been in a crash and would never return home.

I’m also a dad and when my sons reached driving age, I was scared to death. What if, one day, some police officer came to my door to tell me my son was dead? After confiding this to a friend, that friend challenged me to do something.

At a picnic table in 1999 we created the Streetsafe Lifesaving Driving Experience. It’s a combination of driving exercises and discussions with students and parents about responsibilities, choices, driving behaviors, costs and consequences. The end goal: help save teen lives.

Crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, so I never anticipated any difficulty in convincing others something needed to be done. For years, experts told me “nothing works with teens” and “you’re wasting your time.” Banks turned us down, we couldn’t find insurance, and even willing first responder instructors doubted Streetsafe could get off the ground.

Eight years after the picnic table discussion, we finally had a breakthrough. We were able to get insurance and secure financing. My wife and I invested personal savings, bought vehicles and equipment and held the first Streetsafe session in July 2007…in the rain.

The response from students – from the first session through today – reinforces our belief that we are on the right track.

“It was a great opportunity to bring the real dangers of reckless driving into perspective. Working with the instructors was refreshing,” shared Celestine Eshiet, a student participant. “They were non-judgmental and were really in it to help us appreciate the idea of street safety. I’m now committed to driving safer and watching my speed.”

Parents thank us for teaching them about the financial liabilities they face having an inexperienced driver on their insurance and for reinforcing their own role and responsibilities in their child’s driver education.

“StreetSafe was a fantastic experience for my son! He thoroughly enjoyed it and has a greater respect overall when driving. It also scared him a bit, which is good,” shared Todd Engle, a parent. “He needed to see what overconfidence can do to an inexperienced young driver. I know my wife and I made the right decision enrolling him in the course.”

In 2008, the first full year of StreetSafe, we completed ten hands-on sessions. Today, we have 10 regional teams and over 200 first responders, district attorneys, and judges teaching the program throughout NC.

“Of all the feedback I receive from the community, I consistently hear nothing but praise about this program. Whether it is high school students, college kids, or parents, everyone agrees this is time well spent,” shared Ben David, New Hanover County District Attorney.

Thankfully, State Farm has been along for the ride since 2009, supporting StreetSafe programs with funding and agent volunteers.

In 2015, we completed 153 hands-on-sessions, dozens of alcohol education workshops and high school presentations reaching nearly 12,000 young drivers and their families.

Never in our most far-reaching dreams did we expect to find ourselves reaching more than 80,000 people.

We hoped to find a way to make kids safer and more responsible on the road. We think we have. And if we save just one life, it has been worth it….

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