DMV Acting Commissioner Christian Jackstadt Advises Teens to Slow Down, Put Down the Phone, Don't Drive Impaired and Buckle Up
Ahead of Teen Driver Safety Week from October 18-24, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reminds New York teens and parents to keep their focus on the road when they are behind the wheel.
To drive home this message, Acting Commissioner Christian Jackstadt was featured on “Capital Region Lifestyle” on WNYT-TV in Albany where he highlighted the array of online resources DMV has available for teens and parents and what they need to remember when they hit the roads.
Leading up to Teen Driver Safety Week, DMV is taking the message across the state. DMV Deputy Commissioner Mary Tanner-Richter will speak to students at a Teen Driver Safety Summit in Utica on October 15 at the Nexus Center. She will be joined by MADD and other speakers, and the New York State Police will provide live demonstrations using a vehicle rollover simulator and extrication tools.
“Getting behind the wheel is a milestone in a teenager’s life, and in the busy fall season when teens are driving to school, going to sports and activities, and heading out to homecoming celebrations, we want them to be safe,” said Acting Commissioner Jackstadt. “Under Governor Hochul's leadership, DMV is committed to making our roadways safe for all users. There are too many preventable crashes among our younger drivers and as a dad to two young daughters, I take our responsibility for the safety of our youngest drivers very seriously. We urge teens to slow down, put down the phone and focus only on driving. One injury, one fatality, is too many.”
While New York State was recently named the safest state for teen drivers, teens are still over-represented in crashes, making up seven percent of the drivers in crashes while comprising only four percent of licensed drivers. Crashes continue to be a leading cause of death for teens nationally. Failure to yield right of way, following too closely and speeding are the biggest contributors to crashes in New York.
Throughout the year, DMV and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) fund workshops and activities all around the state, including the annual “No Empty Chair” teen driving safety campaign to raise awareness of highway dangers during prom and graduation season, and partners with NASCAR driver Ross Chastain visiting high schools to demonstrate the importance of always wearing a seat belt.
Here are some driver safety tips for teens:
Buckle up. Everyone in the vehicle should wear a seat belt, no matter how short the trip. This is the single most effective way of saving yourself in a crash.
Focus only on driving –put down the phone. Sending or reading even a short text takes attention off the road. Doing that for 5 seconds, at 55 miles per hour, is equivalent to someone driving with their eyes closed for the length of a football field. Tips to help put down the phone:
- Eat and set a playlist before getting in the car
- Put the phone in a glove compartment or activate “Do Not Disturb” feature
- Have a passenger hold the phone to get messages or directions
Do not speed. Speeding puts everyone at risk. In 2024, young drivers had the highest proportion of fatal crashes due to speeding. Almost 40 percent of male drivers and 20 percent of female drivers in the 15- to 20-year-old age group involved in fatal traffic crashes were speeding. Obeying the speed limit saves drivers money, gas, their licenses and possibly lives.
Do not drink or do any kind of drugs and drive. Underage drinking, consuming cannabis or illegal drugs, or misusing prescription drugs is illegal the law and has serious consequences even if there is no crash involved.
Check DMV's new driver resources. DMV has specified supervised driving requirements for day and night hours. Teens can find Learner Permit and Graduated Driver License restrictions, a Younger Drivers Toolkit and information about DMV-licensed driving schools online.
Learn more about teen driver safety and other traffic safety initiatives on DMV’s website and the GTSC website. We also encourage you to follow the DMV conversation on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn and see what is being discussed on GTSC’s Facebook, GTSC’s X and GTSC's Instagram channel.
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