CANTON -- The St. Lawrence County Traffic Safety Program is offering tips to teen drivers as part of Teen Driver Safety Week, which runs from Oct. 19-25.

The “5 to Drive” campaign was launched during Teen Driver Safety Week in 2013, and it addresses the five most dangerous and deadly behaviors for teen drivers. The idea behind the campaign is to give parents tools to use when they talk with their teens about driving. NHTSA’s website www.safercar.gov/parents has detailed information and statistics about the five rules designed to help save the lives of teen drivers.

The “5 to Drive” rules for parents to share with their teens are:

• No Drinking and Driving.

• Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time. Front Seat and Back.

• Put It Down. One Text or Call Could Wreck It All.

• Stop Speeding Before It Stops You.

• No More Than One Passenger at a Time.

Teen drivers need to follow these rules—and any other restrictions outlined in New York’s graduated driver licensing (GDL) law. Parents have a responsibility to tell their teen drivers about the rules and enforce them. But sadly, only about 25 percent of parents have serious talks with their kids about safe driving. The “5 to Drive” campaign was designed to help parents start that conversation.

Although it’s illegal in all 50 States and DC for youth under age 21 to buy or drink alcohol, nationally in 2012, 28 percent of the young drivers (15 to 20 years old) who were killed in crashes had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher.

That same year in St. Lawrence County, 10 percent of impaired driving arrests were under the legal drinking age. Although younger drivers comprised 5 percent of all licensed drivers, they were involved in 14 percent of fatal and personal injury-related crashes.

Texting while driving has become a national epidemic, and teens are some of the worst offenders. In 2012, among drivers 15 to 19 years old who were distracted in fatal crashes, nearly 1 in 5 were distracted by their phones. Speeding is also a common contributing factor in fatal crashes.

In 2012, speeding was a factor in almost half (48 percent) of the crashes that killed 15 to 20-year-old drivers. By comparison, 30 percent of all fatal crashes that year involved speeding.

Novice drivers have enough to focus on without the added distraction of extra passengers. The level of distraction caused by other teen passengers can be disastrous. In fact, the risk of a fatal crash goes up with each additional passenger.

The likelihood of teen drivers engaging in risky behavior while traveling with multiple passengers increases to three times.