Investigators: Kids, Cars & Country Roads

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Do you think it's safer to drive on country roads or city roads? Lighter traffic and the fact you may pass fewer crashes in the country might make you think you're safer there, but you're not. This spring has been a deadly one on rural roads especially for teen drivers. Ten died and seven of those people were not wearing seat belts.

One seatbelt survey shows in the country, drivers are nearly 10 percent less likely to wear them then city drivers. The stats for rural teens are even worse.

Last summer Minnesota passed a new law that makes it easier for cops to catch you without a seatbelt. Statewide, seatbelt citations are up 122 percent since. But when FOX 9 checked, we found huge differences in whether county deputies. The ones patrolling those dangerous rural roads are taking advantage of the new law.

If you would like the Minnesota State Patrol to come to your high school with a program called, “How to Save Life.” Contact your local state patrol district.
http://www.dps.state.mn.us/patrol/distindex/index.htm

If you would like to know more about the “How to Save Life” program here’s a link to a story FOX 9 Investigator Trish Van Pilsum did about it last spring:
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/investigative/In_Depth_How_to_Save_a_Life_june_03_2009

Here are a couple of links for more information on safety on rural roads:
http://www.ruralsafety.umn.edu/
http://www.ruralsafety.umn.edu/clearinghouse/

Trish has started a campaign to cut teen traffic fatalities on her personal blog. Here is a link to that:
http://www.offcamerwithtrish.com/

Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety provided us with the following resources on teens and seat belts:
Teen drivers:
• Top-line "What parents can do" with teen drivers:
http://www.dps.state.mn.us/ots/teens/default.asp

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Teen Driver page:
http://www.chop.edu/healthinfo/teenage-drivers.html

• DPS "Teen Driver Road Rules" brochure -- concise outline of Minnesota teen driver laws: http://www.dps.state.mn.us/ots/teens/Brochures/09_Teen_Road_Rules.pdf

• DPS "Teens Behind the Wheel -- A Roadmap for Parents" brochure. Includes background on teen driver issues; a training guide for parents and driver log sheet for their new teen driver:
http://www.dps.state.mn.us/ots/teens/Brochures/08_Teens_Behind_Wheel.pdf

Seat belts:
• DPS general seat belt safety webpage:
http://www.dps.state.mn.us/ots/topic_areas/belts/belts_default.asp

• Minnesota seat belt facts for 2008:
http://www.dps.state.mn.us/OTS/crashdata/2008CFacts/CF08-3-Occupants.pdf

• Minnesota seat belt facts by county ("Find out the how bad the seat belt issue -- and what it costs your county..."):
http://www.dps.state.mn.us/OTS/crashdata/2006_2008_facts/County_06-08_new_2.pdf

• Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement (May 24-June 6) promotional page:
http://www.rockthebelt.org/clickit/