NC program aims to keep teen drivers safe by having other teenagers drive the message

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- On the heels of Monday's deadly car crash involving teenagers in Apex, there is a renewed effort in keeping kids safe behind the wheel.

The North Carolina Alliance for Safe Transportation is launching the second year of its Teen Safe Driving Ambassador Program, designed to enhance road safety for teens.

According to the CDC, people between the ages of 16 and 19 have a higher risk of being in a car crash than any other group.

"Once you get behind the wheel...laws are in place for if something were to happen," said 18-year-old Kyle Stinson, who participated in the program last year. "As well as if something were to happen to you, there are consequences for misbehaving behind the wheel."

According to Data from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, there were 99 fatal crashes involving teenagers in 2023. And since 2018, there has been an average of more than 11,000 injuries each other. The agency also accounts that nearly 20 percent of teen crash deaths are alcohol-related.

Distracted driving is also responsible for approximately 20 percent of crashes.

"Every life lost in a traffic accident is really tragic, especially because the unfortunate truth of it is that it is preventable. Those accidents are usually happening because...there's a distraction," said Carrboro High School senior Aylin McGowan. "There's always something that could have happened, could have been done to prevent it. It makes me so sad to know that those lives were lost or somebody's. Even if a life isn't lost...your life has changed because maybe you have an injury that can't be reversed."

Teenage participants are also eligible for $1,000 scholarships for their efforts in promoting and modeling safe driving habits and encouraging their peers via social media to do the same.

"Teenagers, we all know don't listen to adults And so I feel like just really bringing up the awareness of being like, you're putting your life on the line every single time you're going behind the wheel," said 17-year-old Concord resident Sydney Martin.

Martin, McGowan, and Stinson were all winners of last year's scholarship.

For more information on how to enroll, click on Be Safe NC.