All contents copyright ©, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc., 2003 onwards, unless specified otherwise. All rights reserved.

IMPORTANT: click here to read the DISCLAIMER

SILVER SPRING, Md., -– Teen drivers continue to be overrepresented in fatal crashes, and released data show young women ages 16 to 24 were in substantially more injury crashes than young men of the same age range. Since 1975, driver fatal crash rates have increased by 57 percent for women.

In response to these alarming trends, CarMax, Inc., the nation's leading specialty retailer of used cars, and Safe Smart Women (S2W) yesterday held a free educational clinic for young women in Indianapolis, Ind.

"When you look at the numbers, it's clear that our young women are at increasing risk on the road, and we need to give them information that can change that tragic fact," noted Kristin Backstrom, executive director, Safe Smart Women. "With the support of the CarMax Foundation, we are able to host these kinds of events to get young women the tools and advice they need to stay safe."

"I am so pleased to have Safe Smart Women bring their program to Indianapolis to help our young women learn about driver safety and car care," said Amy Minick Peterson, first lady of Indianapolis, and mother to Meg Peterson, a senior Girl Scout who attended the program. "I want all of our young women to be safe on our roads, and I am pleased that my daughter Meg has this learning opportunity."

Parents and young women alike were impressed with the opportunity to learn more about the basics of driving and caring for a car. "When I saw the CNN piece about Safe Smart Women and their CarCare Clinics, I knew that this was the best program to help empower girls with safety information about cars. Being a mother of four teenage drivers, a Girl Scout Leader, an RN, and married to someone whose medical group covers the ER, I felt a very strong desire to bring the very best hands on Car Care Clinic program to our community," said Mary Hall, a concerned mother and local resident.

The event was held at CarMax's store in Indianapolis, and featured remarks by Backstrom and Gordon Booth, an S2W Board member and advanced driving instructor, as well as an appearance by Lizzie Nimmich, student advisor for S2W. Dr. Michael Turner also addressed the crowd and presented information on the devastating lifetime effects of traumatic brain injury, which in teens is overwhelmingly the result of car crashes. Dr. Turner is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International National Think First program, a nonprofit organization promoting traumatic brain injury prevention through education, and was recently honored as a Health Care Hero.

S2W's CarCare Clinic was led by experts who encouraged hands-on learning with the cars. Those experts offered advice and guidance on:

-- Driver safety strategies, including information on vehicle safety features

-- How to buy a safe car

-- Basic car maintenance, and why it's important

-- Learning awareness skills to improve driver safety

Future CarCare Clinics will be posted on http://www.s2w.org as dates and locations are announced.

Source: Safe Smart Women