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SALT LAKE CITY — In 2014, 27 teens between the ages of 15 and 19 died on Utah roads. Now a new program that's part of the "Road to Zero Fatalities" effort is calling for teen drivers to be responsible for their behaviors behind the wheel.
Five years ago, Zero Fatalities started a peer-to-peer program called "Don't Drive Stupid." This year, the program was given a much-needed boost.
"We're really happy to present this check for $18,750," Vicki Tuua, a State Farm Insurance agent, said. "We are so anxious to have people have a better education about driving because we're all on the read each day. We trust nobody's going to cross over that middle line. But you know what happens far too frequently."
The money goes to help each participating school receive a kit packed with incentive items.
Students are challenged to come up with an activity or a reminder once a month. One of last year's winners was Hunter High School.
"Before our games we like to paint our thumbs — or everybody's thumbs — blue, trying to promote not to text and drive," said John Workman, assistant principal at Hunter. "For them to see the importance of safety and to grab onto that as something they want to get the message out for everyone to be safe is kind of a big deal for high school students."
Jordan High School students have the same general policy, but they use red as their color.
"Even with like the boys showing that they'll wear red nail polish not to text and drive, it kind of just shows a lot," said Desie Thorn, FBLA president at Jordan High. "Today we're doing 'Protect your Selfie' because a lot of teenagers take selfies because they think it's cool."
Jordan High also has headstones lining the front of the school as a sobering reminder of how many Utah teens died last year.
