History of National Teen Driver Safety Week 

Motor vehicle crashes remain the primary cause of death for adolescents. Teen drivers (ages 16 to 19) are involved in fatal crashes at four times the rate of adult drivers (ages 25 to 69). Each year, more than 5,000 teens are killed in motor vehicle crashes. After a series of tragic crashes involving Pennsylvania high school students, Representatives Charlie Dent (R- PA) and Senator Bob Casey (D- PA) and over 50 co-sponsors introduced the resolution creating National Teen Driver Safety Week in October 2007. The initiative was supported by the traffic safety experts at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm Insurance Companies. National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW) is conducted annually during the third week of October in the United States.

This year's theme is supporting parents in teaching their teens to drive. This includes helping them navigate the practice driving phase, as well as closely monitoring their teens as they begin driving alone. Research has found that fostering this bond translates to an increase in teen driver safety.

Support for National Teen Driver Safety Week has grown, and media coverage has been great. Celebrities, including Jesse McCartney and Oprah Winfrey, have formally endorsed the week, and U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood acknowledged distracted driving as an epidemic, calling for Americans to turn off their phones while driving, prior to the week’s kickoff in 2010. State and local officials across the country have also implemented programs and campaigns as part of NTDSW.