LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky officials are urging young drivers to focus on the road ahead of the summer months through the second annual Safe Teen Driving Challenge.
According to data from the state’s highway agency, more than 49,000 wrecks have involved a teen driver in recent years, resulting in 197 fatalities.
"One of the hardest things we have to do is go to a parent and notify them that their family member has unfortunately lost their life in a collision," Kentucky State Police Sergeant Matt Sudduth said.
Sudduth was in Lexington on Wednesday to promote the challenge. Registration is open until April 16.
The competition measures speed, cornering, and distracted driving, among other things. The first-place finisher will take home $3,000, with the prize money provided by the state’s AAA clubs.
"This is a competition teenagers can sign up for and win 5 different prizes," Kentucky Office of Highway Safety Executive Director Ryan Fischer said.
The initiative aims to get young people 100% focused on their driving during the summer months, when they are on the roads more often than during the rigid schedule of the school year.
"Memorial Day to Labor Day we unfortunately call the 100 deadliest days because that's when most of these crashes occur," AAA Blue Grass representative Lori Weaver Hawkins said.
For a retired police officer who has dealt with accident investigations during his career, the challenge is about establishing good patterns of behavior.
"The habits carry forward. When we see folks who were in seatbelts as kids, they carry that into adulthood," Duckworth said.
"There’s no more tragic event that a law enforcement officer has to participate in than to give that hard knock on a door, and meet people for the first time, and give them the worst news of their lives," Duckworth said.
