UDOT

15th annual Teen Memoriam honors teens and urges drivers to be patient on the road

Last year, 32 teens lost their lives on Utah roads. Stories included teen drivers, pedestrians, and bike riders. Today, ahead of National Teen Driver Safety Week, family members shared their stories to encourage others to drive safely, be aware of surroundings and focus on teen driver education.

This is the 15th year the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), and Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) have invited families of teen crash victims to share their stories in the Teen Memoriam book. The book is designed to honor the lives lost, while educating other teens about crash fatalities. It’s used in driver education classes in more than 140 high schools throughout the state to inform and encourage students to be safe on the road.

“The Teen Memoriam was created to empower families and communities, to encourage change and to save lives,” said David Litvack, deputy director of Community Health & Well-Being at
DHHS. “It’s a hard book to read, but it’s also a book of hope—hope that no other family will have to experience the loss and heartache of losing a child, a sibling, or a friend on our roads.”

Carlos Braceras, UDOT executive director, also spoke at the press event, sharing resources available to parents and teens and reminding everybody to be more courteous, patient and kind when sharing the road with these new drivers.

“When we sit down with our teens and remind them to be safe behind the wheel, we also commit to them and ourselves that we, too, will be safer drivers,” Braceras said. “It’s an opportunity to recommit to drive calm, buckled, and focused, to remember we all share the road and to not only be patient with our new drivers, but everyone.”

Resources found on the Zero Fatalities website include a pre-driver program, targeted towards 13- to 14-year-olds who are preparing for a learner permit. It includes a brochure, an in-class presentation, and workbooks with guided questions to help facilitate open conversations. Parent involvement is key to guiding responsible drivers. Parents and teens are encouraged to learn the Graduated Driver License laws, which are designed to protect teens by allowing them to learn in safe conditions, safeguarding them from situations known to increase crash risk and helping them gradually increase their independence.

Zero Fatalities also offers a New Driver Agreement to explain driving privileges and expectations, encourage two-way communication, and guide discussions when setting and revisiting driving rules. Other resources found on the Zero Fatalities website include a web app to track teen driving hours and educational resources and videos from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. All of these resources are free and available on zerofatalities.com.

“Now is the time to be involved,” said UHP’s Colonel Rapich. “Teens are likely to be safer behind the wheel if their parents are monitoring their driving activities in supportive ways. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and the teens we remember today to reach our goal of Zero Fatalities.”

The release of the Teen Memoriam precedes National Teen Driver Safety Week, held October 15-21, 2023. The nationwide campaign focuses on the need to prepare teens to be safe on roads.

For more information on teen driver safety, visit zerofatalities.com. Digital copies of the Teen
Memoriams can also be viewed at zerofatalities.com/teen-memoriam/.