Tuesday, October 21, is Driver Safety Day and Missoula DUI Task Force Coordinator Lonie Hutchison says teenagers in Montana are at a greater risk of dying in a crash than any other age group.

"In the last 10 years, 2,309 people have died in motor vehicle crashes on Montana roadways and 357 of those were 15 to 20 year-olds," Hutchison said. "The young drivers have the highest crash rate of any age group in the state, and they lose their lives to vehicle crashes more than any other cause."

Hutchison says authorities have noticed some disturbing trends locally.

"We're hearing from school resource officers here in town, that at the high schools, they are seeing a lot of teens driving or riding as passengers and not wearing their seat belts. We're also hearing from law enforcement that a lot of our teenagers are texting and driving."

Teen Driver safety day is part of the Vision Zero campaign started last spring by Montana Department of Transportation Director Mike Tooley, in hopes of ending deaths on the roadways. The main messages teens will hear include, "Drive the speed limit, buckle up, put the cell phone away, and plan a safe ride home."

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