EMSA says it is prepared to respond to a high volume of motor vehicle collisions involving teens in first three weeks of school
EMSA warns new drivers on road safety as school resumes
Tulsa Public Schools begin school Aug. 20. EMSA says that the increased traffic combined with new drivers leads to an unusually high number of motor vehicle accidents the first few weeks of school.
"We could see a seven-fold increase or more in emergency calls from motor vehicle collisions involving kids aged 16 to 18 years old during the end of August and the beginning of September," said Kelli Bruer, EMSA spokeswoman. "It can be a result of an increase in traffic, but we also see many new and inexperienced teenage drivers on the road."
"During any given three-week period throughout the year, EMSA might only respond to about a handful of car accidents involving teens," said Bruer. "Last year, however, we responded to 37 in the three-week back-to-school timeframe."
Back-to-school traffic can be difficult to navigate, even for experienced drivers, so to help EMSA offers the following tips for driver safety:
* Always wear seat belts and obey all traffic signs and laws.
* Practice the route to and from school with your teenage driver being sure to point out any hazardous areas that may involve school bus stops, construction or cross walks.
* Remind new drivers the importance of not talking or texting on the phone while driving.
* Reduce any distractions inside the car so the driver can concentrate on the road and their surroundings including limiting the number of passengers.
* Get a complete tune up for the vehicle your teenage driver will be driving before the first day of school to minimize the chance of mechanical problems.
EMSA's online safety resource center at emsaonline.com or Facebook page at EMSA OKLAHOMA offers complete listings of driver safety as well as how to keep kids safe at home, outdoors, from fire and on the school bus.
