The California Highway Patrol is partnering with Impact Teen Drivers in an attempt to change teen culture and cut down on distracted driving.

The grant-funded “Teen Distracted Drivers Education and Enforcement III” campaign consists of an education component, as well as distracted teen driving enforcement throughout the state.

“Enforcement alone is not the answer – education plays an equally important role in keeping California’s teenage drivers safe,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “We encourage parents to get involved by talking to their teen driver about the rules of the road and by being good role models behind the wheel.” He states that accidents are more likely to happen to teen drivers because they are just learning to handle themselves behind the wheel and pick up reckless driving behavior quickly, resulting in a car accident Springfield IL and other cities experience every day.

The program will work to educate teens, parents, teachers, and community members about the dangers of distracted and reckless driving.

“It is crucial that we educate teens and empower them to make good decisions behind the wheel,” said Kelly Browning, Executive Director of Impact Teen Drivers. “It is primarily through this cultural change that we can eliminate the number one killer of teens in America – reckless and distracted driving.”

The ultimate mission of the partnership is to reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by distracted driving and the number of poor decisions made behind the wheel by teen drivers.

The CHP will continue its year-long teen driver safety campaign through September 2014.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.