School bells are about to ring again, and with them comes excitement and change, but there’s also something that doesn’t get enough attention: the risks that come when teens head back behind the wheel. August is National Traffic Awareness Month, and it provides a perfect moment to pause, reflect, and refresh how we are sending our young drivers back-to-school with safety front and center.
When July heats up and summer winds down, roads change. August brings a wave of familiar signs: lowered speed zones, flashing school zone lights, cautious school buses, and an uptick in both foot and vehicle traffic around schools. The start of school year routines means more cars stopping, more teens learning, and more distractions at the wheel. It is not just a busy season, it is a pivotal one for making sure that every teen driver understands the responsibility they carry when steering a car.
Recent data makes that responsibility crystal clear. In 2023, teen motor vehicle occupant deaths climbed to 2,707, up nearly six percent from the previous year. That means roughly eight teens died every day in crashes involving a car, truck, or van. When we widen the lens, there were more than 3,000 teen fatalities overall, including bicycle and pedestrian incidents. Crashes involving drivers aged 15 to 20 were responsible for nearly 5,600 deaths in 2023, up from 5,361 in 2022. It is heartbreaking and underscores how much is riding on effective outreach, education, and clear expectations at home.
National Traffic Awareness Month was born to encourage responsible driving. It gives us a chance to remind everyone – teenagers, parents, and even drivers who don’t live near a school – that August means shifting habits and heightened attention. It is also a time to highlight teen-specific risks. Teens are vulnerable behind the wheel for many reasons including speeding, inexperience, distracted driving, and experimenting with substances. According to NHTSA, key risk factors include alcohol and drug use, failing to wear seat belts, driving while distracted, carrying extra passengers, speeding, and driving while tired.
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The first hands-on part of every back-to-school season starts with the parent conversation. Research tells us that parent engagement is the cornerstone of teen driver safety. Programs like parental teen driving agreements give structure to those conversations and can be more effective than rules alone. Innovations in training like RAPT simulations, virtual hazard recognition programs, and parent-supported checklists help build safe habits that stick. Those are encouraging tools in our toolbox.
It turns out learning to drive safely also has a gear-up side. A study in May 2025 from Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that teens behind the wheel of older cars face significantly higher fatal crash risk. Cars six to fifteen years old carried a 19 percent higher risk compared to models under five years old. If the car was over fifteen years old, that risk jumped to 31 percent. Newer cars with driver assist features like automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and blind spot warning were associated with about a six percent drop in fatal crashes.
We also have to talk about peer pressure, especially around substances. Back-to-school social rituals often include parties, after-school gatherings, and even casual allowance of risky behaviors that challenge safe choices. In 2023, 24 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had alcohol in their system. That tells us it is more than just the occasional bad decision; it often involves a culture of risk that we must confront with clear communication and zero-tolerance commitments .
Then there is distracted driving, a catcher’s mitt full of threats. Texting, calls, screen browsing, even interacting with passengers – each one waits for a brief moment to pull eyes from the road. Research shows that texting while driving is up to twenty-three times more dangerous. For teens, distracted driving accounts for about twelve percent of all teen crashes, and talking to passengers adds another fifteen percent shift in risk .
School zone awareness is another lifesaving skill. Kids are walking, biking, loading buses, stepping out from behind cars. Those specific environments deserve slower speeds and maximum attention. Defensive driving habits, like keeping two or three seconds of space between vehicles and scanning for unexpected movements can make the difference between a close call and a tragedy .
So what does all this mean for families, schools, and teens getting ready for school year routines? It means now is the time for conversations that do more than list rules. Opening up about risks, making safety about control and care – not restriction – providing clear expectations around phone use, curfews, peer passengers, seat belt use, vehicle maintenance, and drinking. Sharing statistics, telling a story about someone who made a bad choice, using real examples all bring urgency and grip teen attention.
At Road Radio USA we believe we can shift culture with connection. Host a back-to-school safety check event on your local airwaves or community center. Ask parents to sign commitment cards. Invite teens to share their travel pledges or experiences via social media stories. Ask school districts to remind drivers of zone speeds and safe unloading protocols. Provide new driver scholarships to attend programs like B.R.A.K.E.S., a nonprofit that offers free advanced training for teens and parents. It was founded by Doug Herbert after he lost two sons in a crash, and its mission is to train teen drivers and their families to avoid unnecessary tragedies .
Peer-to-peer programs such as Teens in the Driver Seat are also powerful. They train teens to speak directly to teens about safe driving behaviors. More than 1.2 million teens across schools in 28 states take part in that program every year .
We also cannot ignore emerging solutions that are reshaping mobility. Waymo’s new program in Arizona lets teenagers aged 14 to 17 ride solo in autonomous vehicles through parent-linked accounts. The goal is to give safe, independent transport while easing pressure on parents, even if it raises questions about social isolation and the evolving role of driving in growing independence .
As the month draws to a close, ask your community: What difference did we make this August? Did more teens buckle up? Did fewer try to text at red lights? Did school drop-off lines feel more orderly? Those little wins add up. They become habits, culture, and eventually safer roads.
August is not just about traffic rules. It is about adults next to a new driver, reminding them that each drive carries weight. It is about teens choosing to keep their focus on driving not distractions. It is about communities saying no to peer pressure that leads to crashes. A new school year is about possibility. It is also about prevention. As National Traffic Awareness Month reminds us, safety is not seasonal. It is a daily choice. Let’s make sure our teens step into school year with awareness, confidence, and the knowledge that every drive matters.