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Motor vehicle crashes remain the primary cause of death for teens between the ages of 15 and 18 years old in the United States. While many teens understand the risks that come with driving, it’s important to reinforce the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration #RulesForTheRoad.

NCHSAA and NCAST appreciate you serving as a Teen Safe Driving Ambassador in your community, promoting positive driving behaviors among your friends and classmates.

We want to continue to emphasize seven key behaviors that teens should practice:

  1. Wear a seat belt, and make sure all passengers do as well 
  2. Obey traffic laws and no speeding 
  3. No distractions 
  4. No unnecessary passengers 
  5. No alcohol 
  6. No drugs 
  7. No impairment-causing medications

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WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

NOVEMBER 17, 2024

This Sunday, November 17th, is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. As an ambassador, NCAST asks you to help promote positive driving behaviors by bringing awareness of World Day of Remembrance when we remember the teens in your home county killed in a traffic crash last year.

Examples of what you can do

  • Get with your friends to loan you shoes, one pair for each teen killed in a car crash in your county in 2023. (see chart below) Take a picture of the shoes, or a picture of you and your friends in a safe location (like your high school) and post on your social media channels.
  • Use one of the provided pictures of shoes and one of the suggested posts below. Or use them as inspiration to create your own when sharing on your social media channels.

We understand you may want to take pictures of shoes by the roadside, but we advise against it. Whatever you do, make sure it’s safe. Do not become a roadside hazard yourself.

Reminder to send us your pictures and posts to info@besafenc.org! 

In the spring of 2025, every teen ambassador will have the opportunity to apply for a $500 educational scholarship through an application process asking you to illustrate how you’ve helped support NCAST initiatives throughout the year.

 These Day of Remembrance pictures and posts can be part of that application process and could help you win one of five $500 scholarships!

The section below contains downloadable pictures of shoes with accompanying suggested posts that you can use. Here are relevant hashtags to use when posting to tap into conversations related to World Day of Remembrance:

#WDoR2024
#TrafficViolenceIsPreventable
#NCAST

Downloadable images (or create your own) 

Sample Posts (or create your own) 

  • 11/17 is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Shoes have become a symbol of the lives ripped away. These shoes help us remember the teens in our community lost in car crashes last year. Let’s remember them, and pledge in their memory to be safe, focused drivers when behind the wheel.
  • 11/17 is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Shoes have become a symbol of the lives lost. This picture of my friends and I helps us remember the teens in our community lost in car crashes last year. Let’s remember them, and pledge in their memory to be safe, focused drivers when behind the wheel.
  • For the «insert number from table for your county» teen lives lost to traffic crashes in «Your County» County last year, we REMEMBER, SUPPORT and ACT this World Day of Remembrance.
  • In memory of «name of friend or family member who was killed/injured». If safety was at the heart of our transportation system, they’d still be here today.

  • Every death is unacceptable. Every loss is an outrage. On World Day of Remembrance, I call on leaders to Remember, Support & ACT for change.

NC TEEN CRASH DATA BY COUNTY (2023) 

CRASHES
FATALITIES
INJURIES
ALAMANCE
907
2
180
ALEXANDER
126
0
21
ALLEGHANY
38
0
14
ANSON
98
1
24
ASHE
96
0
18
AVERY
64
0
18
BEAUFORT
207
0
41
BERTIE
48
0
13
BLADEN
123
0
33
BRUNSWICK
480
0
110
BUNCOMBE
1195
2
179
BURKE
399
0
98
CABARRUS
1277
3
290
CALDWELL
355
0
81
CAMDEN
34
0
11
CARTERET
292
0
59
CASWELL
39
0
10
CATAWBA
1009
1
202
CHATHAM
303
1
66
CHEROKEE
76
0
15
CHOWAN
30
0
12
CLAY
41
0
4
CLEVELAND
412
0
112
COLUMBUS
253
0
71
CRAVEN
428
0
92
CUMBERLAND
1148
3
231
CURRITUCK
95
0
22
DARE
220
0
39
DAVIDSON
758
3
180
DAVIE
181
0
47
DUPLIN
283
0
88
DURHAM
1413
0
304
EDGECOMBE
161
0
56
FORSYTH
2220
11
432
FRANKLIN
299
1
93
GASTON
1229
3
235
GATES
18
0
9
GRAHAM
23
1
2
GRANVILLE
164
2
57
GREENE
74
0
16
GUILFORD
2707
1
695
HALIFAX
220
0
61
HARNETT
543
3
140
HAYWOOD
255
0
58
HENDERSON
548
1
100
HERTFORD
55
0
22
HOKE
143
0
54
HYDE
3
0
0
IREDELL
1077
2
244
JACKSON
172
2
43
JOHNSTON
1168
1
260
JONES
34
0
6
LEE
292
1
58
LENOIR
258
0
84
LINCOLN
420
0
65
MACON
122
1
28
MADISON
38
1
5
MARTIN
81
0
28
MCDOWELL
152
0
36
MECKLENBURG
6060
7
1436
MITCHELL
48
0
19
MONTGOMERY
108
2
36
MOORE
505
0
112
NASH
426
2
131
NEW HANOVER
1114
0
164
NORTHAMPTON
52
0
17
ONSLOW
702
2
189
ORANGE
773
0
142
PAMLICO
49
0
7
PASQUOTANK
185
0
42
PENDER
324
0
75
PERQUIMANS
51
0
11
PERSON
169
2
43
PITT
1067
2
276
POLK
80
0
21
RANDOLPH
708
1
154
RICHMOND
186
0
46
ROBESON
643
5
175
ROCKINGHAM
297
0
76
ROWAN
649
3
172
RUTHERFORD
204
0
43
SAMPSON
288
5
70
SCOTLAND
133
3
42
STANLY
205
1
61
STOKES
161
1
45
SURRY
301
2
78
SWAIN
24
0
5
TRANSYLVANIA
103
1
27
TYRRELL
15
1
9
UNION
1406
1
281
VANCE
215
0
54
WAKE
5879
11
1076
WARREN
36
1
16
WASHINGTON
27
0
5
WATAUGA
353
0
50
WAYNE
631
3
197
WILKES
307
0
56
WILSON
411
2
102
YADKIN
142
0
26
YANCEY
34
0
7

NC crash fatalities of those 19 and younger in 2023: 165

 *Information compiled by the NC DMV Traffic Records Unit and Traffic Safety Unit from 2023 crash data received prior to May 8, 2024.

The sections below contain resources from previous events that you can still use as inspiration when sharing on your social media channels.

TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK:

NCAST TEEN SAFETY VIDEOS

These videos of NC Teens discussing driving safety issues are ready to drop into your favorite feed!

TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK:

NHTSA GENERAL MESSAGING

Sample Posts (or create your own) 

  • Hey, teens, speak up! If a fellow teen is driving unsafely, call them out. #TeenDriver
  • DYK: Marijuana, prescription drugs, and even some over-the-counter medications affect your ability to drive safely, just like alcohol. NHTSA.gov/teendriving. #TeenDriver
  • There are good times to use your phone…and times when you definitely should not: Watching 📺? ✔️Listening to music 🎧? ✔️Eating pizza 🍕? ✔️Driving your car 🚗? ❌
  • Drinking and driving don’t mix, especially if you’re under 21. Learn more about the dangers of impaired driving at NHTSA.gov/teendriving. #TeenDriver 

TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK:

NHTSA TEXTING / DISTRACTIONS

Sample Posts (or create your own) 

  • I always leave my phone in my backpack in the backseat when driving. Don’t drive distracted. #MyRulesForTheRoad

  • Looking at my 📱 expert multi-tasker. I stay off my phone to keep others safe. #MyRulesForTheRoad.

TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK:

NHTSA SEATBELTS

Sample Posts (or create your own) 

  • Before setting up my favorite playlist, I always buckle my seat belt when I get in the car. My safety comes before my music—and yours should, too. #MyRulesForTheRoad

  • Seat belts aren’t sexy, but neither is death. Let’s start a new trend and always get buckled. #MyRulesForTheRoad

TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK:

NHTSA FEWER PASSENGERS = BETTER

Sample Posts (or create your own) 

  • I love hanging out with all my friends, but too many in my car is a crowd. The fewer passengers, the more focused I am on the road. #MyRulesForTheRoad

  • While I’m getting the hang of driving, I won’t fill my car full of friends. Extra passengers can be a huge distraction. #MyRulesForTheRoad

DOWNLOAD ON MOBILE

  1. Click on the blue link of the resource you want to post.
  2. When prompted to download, click Download.
  3. On the left of your browser address bar, look for the blue circle with an arrow in it. Click the circle.
  4. Look under Downloads; your new download will appear there.
  5. Save your download to your phone, then post to your social media channels!

GENERAL POSTING STRATEGY

As a teen ambassador, you serve as a role model for other teens in your community. Teens listen to each other, so NCAST wants you to share these messages on social media and— with appropriate permission from school officials— post signage, organize events, and any other activities to educate teens on these safe-driving rules.

Examples of what you can do

  • Post NCAST videos on your own social channels
  • Post NHTSA graphic and suggested copy (or write your own) on your own social channels
  • Get permission from school officials first, then print out static graphics above as mini-posters (or make your own) for school bulletin boards, put them on display at school sports events
  • Take pictures and post them on your own social channels

Make sure to take pictures of yourself in front of posters or any other activity you do and send them to NCAST (info@besafenc.org). You could make the NCAST Teen Safe Driving Ambassador Hall of Fame and be featured in our monthly NCAST newsletter!

Be creative! These are only suggestions and examples. Make your own video, write your own social post, or create your own mini-poster!

Haven’t signed up to be a Teen Ambassador yet? Do it now and qualify to win a $500 scholarship!