Central Park To Host Teen Driving Safety Fair
The Automobile Club of America and the city of Santa Clarita, Calif., set Regional Teen Driver Safety Week's wheels in motion this Saturday by educating teens and the community about driving safety and responsible teen driving practices on the road at the Teen Driving Safety Fair.
“Auto accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers in the United States, with more than 15,000 teens ages 16 to 19 killed or injured each year in the state of California alone,” said the Auto Club's Community Programs and Safety Team Lead Anita Lorz, “To help reduce these tragedies the Auto Club and its driving school [organizes] regional traffic safety fairs.” The Teen Safety Fair took place in the city's Central Park No. 3 on Saturday, Oct. 17. The site is dedicated to youth who have lost their lives in auto-related collisions.
The event featured an array of music, games, safety exhibits and interactive driving activities. Once such activity was a rock-climbing wall, which demonstrated a drop similar to a 20- mile per hour car crash. In addition, there was a custom 'car fit' activity meant to instruct teens on how to properly adjust safety belts, foot petals, mirrors and seats, based on the differences between the heights of teens and adults. To add some reality to the event, there was also a wrecked car on display, donated by a Southern California family whose teen was killed an auto collision. The Auto Club of America also provided Carl's Jr. meals to the first 500 guests who arrived at the event.
There were several representatives from governmental agencies, organizations and community groups present at the event. Organizations represented included the Division of Motor Vehicles, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, Santa Clarita Valley Youth Project, Visions in Progress Youth Advisory Committee, Victims Against Street Racing, ACTION Parent & Teen Support Group and IMPACT Teen Drivers. The California Department of Insurance was also there to educate the community about teen driving crash risks, driver safety and driving responsibilities such as graduated driver licensing laws, car insurance requirements, teen car insurance rates and more.
The city and the Automobile Club of America's aim with this event is to heighten teen awareness about the seriousness of driving safety. “Through these comprehensive demonstrations and available information, the Auto Club and Teen Driving Safety Fair seeks to illuminate the dangerous ripple effect of irresponsible and reckless driving and encourage community teens to educate themselves and practice safer habits behind the wheel, ” Santa Clarita Mayor Frank Ferry said. “Together as a community we can work to make Santa Clarita streets safer for drivers of every age.”
