CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There's been an increase in the number of crashes involving teen drivers, according to AAA Texas. Now, AAA Texas officials are inviting Coastal Bend parents to attend a virtual meeting to discuss the alarming jump in crashes.
Kara Thorp, the AAA Texas Public Affairs Specialist, will deliver the keynote address during the free, virtual meeting July 21, from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
“This meeting is happening in response to the crash in late May that killed two students from Ray High School, but also TxDOT is seeing an increase in the number of teen crashes in 2021,” said Thorp. “There were 1,570 traffic crashes in Corpus Christi involving teens in 2021 and that has resulted in seven fatalities and 25 teens with serious injuries."
Thorp said teens ages 16-19 have the highest crash risk among all drivers on the road and the main reason for that is simple: inexperience.
This is something in our own community that we’ve experienced.
In late May, police said two teenage drivers were racing on Port Avenueafter leaving their graduation rehearsal at the American Bank Center. One of those drivers lost control of his vehicle and crashed. Two young men were killed.
AAA Texas said in a press release, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young adults. Teen drivers are nearly three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older, to be in a fatal crash, according to the National Safety Council — which prompted the virtual meeting,
Additional panel experts, including the City of Corpus Christi Municipal Court, Driscoll Children’s Hospital Injury Prevention team, Teens in the Driver’s Seat, and law enforcement, will be present on the risks associated with teen drivers and provide solutions for the Coastal Bend community.
“We hope to offer them some resources just to help with the learning to drive process, and help keep teens stay safe on the road,” said Thorp.
Registration is required and can be accessed by clicking here.
