Virginia students are using peer-to-peer education programs to protect each other from the dangers of unsafe driving. YOVASO, the Youth of Virginia Speak About Traffic Safety group, encourages students to work together to address unsafe driving behaviors and focus on the prevention of crashes, injuries and fatalities among drivers under the age of 21. The focus areas of YOVASO are:
- Seat Belts – Increase awareness about the benefits of seat belts and increase seat belt use among youth and teens
- Speeding – Increase awareness about the dangers of speeding and reduce speeding among teen drivers
- Underage Drinking/Impaired Driving – Increase awareness about Virginia’s Zero Tolerance Law and reduce underage drinking and impaired driving among teens
- Distracted Driving – Increase awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and reduce distracted driving among teen drivers
- Defensive Driving – Educate teens about driving defensively and acquiring skills needed for crash avoidance and run-off-the-road recovery
- Virginia’s Teen Driving Laws – Increase awareness abut Virginia’s laws and reduce the number of teens who break these laws
- Risky Driving Behaviors – Increase awareness about risky driving behaviors and reduce these behaviors in teen drivers (driving with too many passengers, cruising, etc.)
- Driving Attitudes – Help change the attitudes of youth and teens and impact a generation of young drivers who are better informed about and committed to practicing safe driving habits and attitudes
From September 18th to October 13th, they are running the Save Your Tailgate campaign. The campaign is aimed at educating all youth and teens to form a life-long buckle up habit by reminding them that seat belts are critical for every driver and passenger. In addition to promoting seat belt use, students are encouraging each other to slow down and obey speed limits. Speeding is another important step to reducing young driver-related crashes, that lead to injuries and fatalities. In Virginia, speeding is a key factor in all fatal crashes involving a young driver, approximately half of all fatal teen crashes are the result of speeding. YOVASO is encouraging all middle and high schools to sign up for this campaign, and their approaching Halloween Safety campaign, as a way to engage students and make safe driving programs a staple in all educational settings.
At Reid Goodwin we would like to remind you to talk to your children about the dangers of unsafe driving, and encourage them to be involved in programs such as YOVASO. Education, especially from peers, can curb unsafe driving habits before they begin. If you ever find yourself or a family member injured an accident caused by reckless driving, please contact our office and one of our attorneys will be able to assist you.