Prom season proves dangerous time for teen drivers

State safety officials say the end of the school year is a dangerous time for teens and driving.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, seat belt use among teens appears to dip during the prom through graduation period, and the percentage of traffic deaths involving drinking teen drivers jumps.

Cheri Marti, who heads the state Office of Traffic Safety, said her office looked at data for the April through June period from 2004 to 2006 and found the vast majority of teens killed in crashes had not been wearing a seat belt. "Seventy-one percent of teen vehicle occupants killed in crashes were not belted, compared to the rest of the year where you've got 58 percent of the teens killed were not buckled up," Marti said.

Marti said there were 312 traffic fatalities in crashes involving 16 to 19 year old drivers from 2004 to 2006.

Legislation that would allow police to pull over unbelted drivers as well as tighten restrictions on teenage motorists has stalled in the House this session. Currently, police can ticket unbelted drivers only if they're stopped for another probable violation.

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