Twisted Guardrails on the Highway

Monday

Friday, September 18, 2009

MISSOURI: A 17-year-old girl died while trying to make a left-hand turn Friday evening. Andrea White, of Houston, Mo., drove her 2001 PT Cruiser onto the highway to make a left turn and was broadsided by a 2004 Dodge pickup driven by 20-year-old Anthony Carnal. A passenger in Andrea's car, Lyndsey Tarrants, 17, was taken to the hospital for moderate injuries. Andrea and Lyndsey were not wearing seatbelts.

MISSISSIPPI: A 16-year-old died in a one-car accident just before 10 p.m. Police say William Driebergen, 16, veered into the other lane and off the road. The car flipped, and hit a tree. The accident is under investigation.

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Why we're doing this

This site may seem a little shocking and gory, and for any family members who found this site by accident, I am sorry for your loss and hope this site does not add any pain to your grieving.

With this site, I am attempting to chronicle teen driving fatalities for one school year to demonstrate to parents and teens the risks associated with driving. I believe teen driving fatalities can be prevented, and that we can change the way people look at this issue much like we changed the way society looked at smoking: It's gone from an acceptable behavior to one that is largely shunned.

I don't mean we should stop teens from driving -- no one can get better at something if they can't practice. But if teens are aware of the behaviors that lead to fatalities, they may begin policing themselves. Telling their friends who are texting or speeding to stop it or slow down. Or calling home and asking mom or dad to come pick them up instead of taking that planned ride home, because they're feeling unsafe.

Driving is the number one cause of death for people aged 16 to 20. In 2008, 4,497 16- to 20-year-olds died in car accidents, accounting for 12% of all auto fatalities.

I hope this site gets people to think, and to talk. Please feel free to post comments, or send along pictures or links to online memorials. I will try to keep the site as PG rated as I can, given the nature of the topic.