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.

The theme for 2012 was  'Share, Not Scare.' Research has shown that scared straight tactics do not change behavior over the long haul. That's why the 2012 NTDSW theme focused on messaging to motivate. 

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.

The next National Teen Driver Safety Week  will take place October 20-26, 2013.