In recent years, the amount of distracted drivers and car accidents have gone up, mostly due to the changes in technology. The age group that is most affected are teen drivers.

This is the reason the state of California started an educational program called Impact Teen Drivers.

The program came all the way to Washington on May 10. Certified police officers went into schools around town to present a class called “What’s Lethal.” The program is made to heighten awareness of reckless-distracted driving with the goal of improving teen driver safety, Covington Police Chief Andrew McCurdy said in an email.

An instructor flew from California to teach the class and it was paid for by a grant from State Farm, McCurdy said. The instructor, Kelly K. Browning, is the executive director of the program.

The program was started in 2007 by the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, California Casualty and the California Teachers’ Association as a way to help stop the No. 1 killer of teens, preventable car crashed, Browning said.

Browning explained that the association conducted stress-testing on their highway patrol officers to see what the most challenging part of their job. Officers reported that seeing a young person who had been killed in a car accident and notify their families was the most stressful.

This is where the idea for the program started. There have always been organizations and programs that focus on the influence of drugs and alcohol, but there were very few that focused on distracted driving in general, Browning said.

Since the program started in 2007, it has expanded to reach over 40 states and Canada.

Students have to fill out a survey to evaluate if their attitudes about distracted driving have been changed before and after the program.

“It is very important to us that we truly make a difference in teens attitudes and decisions behind the wheel,” Browning said.

Annually, about 4,000 teen drivers are killed in a preventable car accident and more than 400,000 are injured in a car accident in the US. Teens are more likely to die in motor vehicle crashes than any other single cause, Browning said.

While those statistics are scary, their program’s tactic isn’t to scare teens into driving more carefully. Instead, the program connects to teens on an emotional level, using stories about real teens that have lost their lives. This approach shows that the consequences of reckless and distracted driving are very real. The program also empowers teens by letting them know accidents are preventable.

“Empowerment is key, without empowering teens to make better driving decisions, reckless and distracted driving will continue to plague our roadways,” Browning said.

Before smart phones, cell phones were still an issue with drivers. Drivers would still text or talk and drive, which is a distraction. Now cell phones are not just used for talking and texting, but also are being used as music players, cameras and GPS, Browning said. Because of this, teen drivers have more things to keep them distracted while driving.

While some teens know the dangers of texting while driving and claim they don’t do it, they will admit to using other forms of communication or social media while driving. This is just as dangerous, or more dangerous depending on what they are doing on their phones while driving.

While all age groups practice unsafe driving habits, programs like these focus on teens. This program focuses on teens for two reasons:

1. Their inexperience behind the wheel amplifies the risk posed by distracted driving.

2. Teens are beginning to develop their driving habits and if they are influenced to drive distraction-free, they will create lifelong habits that will reduce distracted driving now and in the future, Browning said.

By having a program that relates to teens instead of using other extreme tactics, it has the potential to keep teens safe on the road and make lifelong habits of not being distracted drivers.

Browning said that when you show participants real teens, who are just like them, make a bad choice that cost them their lives, it can motivate participants to drive safely.

For more information or questions about the program, visit www.impactteendrivers.org or www.whatdoyouconsiderlethal.com.