April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month to stress to all drivers their need to fully focus on their driving tasks while behind the wheel. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 3,000 people are killed and nearly 300,000 people injured annually in crashes involving distracted drivers, resulting in an average of nine deaths a day.

Cell phones are a main cause in the number of distracted driving crashes, which have dramatically increased over the years. NHTSA estimates that cell phone use was involved in 12.1% of fatal distraction-affected crashes in 2021 and 2022.

While drivers of all ages are guilty of some form of distracted driving, teen drivers are a major focus because of their constant use of cell phones.

Good driving habits must be instilled when teens learn to drive. Statistics show teen drivers have a significantly higher risk of being involved in fatal crashes compared to other age groups. According to the National Safety Council, teen drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 represent just 3.6% of licensed drivers, but account for 9.1% of drivers in all crashes and 6.1% of drivers in fatal crashes.

Teens have the highest rate of fatal crashes due to their lack of experience and perform risky behaviors like speeding and using cell phones. Because of their lack of driving experience, it is imperative for teen drivers to fully focus on the road.

Visual, mental and physical distractions take away a driver’s attention to drive defensively and react quickly to sudden, unexpected situations. Recent serious and fatal crashes involving e-bikes, regular bikes and pedestrians call for all drivers to be focused and more aware of their surroundings.

Other behavior that can cause distractions include playing the car stereo too loud or wearing wireless earbuds while driving, blocking out your aural surroundings, such as a car horn warning you of imminent danger.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month coincides with the state Department of Education’s (DOE) annual Operation Driver Excellence and Traffic Safety Fair taking place this Saturday at Waipahu High School. Co-sponsored by DTRIC Insurance and Par Hawaii, the 33rd annual event is aimed at preparing our teens to become safe and responsible drivers by preventing risk factors.

Teen drivers and their parent driving partners will test their skills and knowledge with real-world, hands-on driving challenges within a safe and controlled environment. The fair will also feature interactive learning stations that will illustrate how impairment from alcohol, marijuana, concussions and sleep deprivation can severely impact a driver’s abilities, judgment and reaction times.

This event was intentionally designed to have teen drivers and their parents work together as a family in learning safe driving behavior. A teen’s driving education starts at home, which means adults need to be good role models. Parent driving habits — both good and bad — leave a lasting impression on their teen’s driving behavior.

Teen drivers and their parents should take advantage of this educational event on Saturday to help keep their loved ones and the public safe while on our roadways.

Dennis Rae, top, is executive vice president and chief underwriting officer at DTRIC Insurance Co.; John Peyton is vice president-retail at Par Hawaii.