Making Kansas City's young drivers safe drivers.
RoadWise is a free program for young drivers 14-18, emphasizing the importance of wearing a seat belt and making good, safe decisions behind the wheel.
Participants follow the path they would take at a trauma center after being seriously injured in a car crash by visiting the Emergency Room, Radiology, Intensive Care and Physical Therapy. Time is spent with young people who have sustained a permanent brain or spinal cord injury as a result of a motor-vehicle crash. The Missouri State Highway Patrol also visits to talk about working crash sites and the daunting task of making death notifications to families.
The stats
- Teens are 10 times more likely to be in a fatal car accident than adults.
- Texting behind the wheel makes you 20 times more likely to be involved in a crash than a non-distracted driver.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death among teenagers in the US.
- Most of the fatal teen car accidents occur six months after obtaining the license.
- Despite drunk driving and texting being regarded as main distractions and accident causes for drivers of all ages, being distracted by passengers is a major factor in fatal teen crashes.
Statistics collected from Missouri Department of Transportation and Kansas Department of Transportation
What young drivers are saying about RoadWise:
RoadWise is a hospital-based program with several contributing health workers. To keep those health care workers and our RoadWise attendees safe during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, both RoadWise classes in 2021 are cancelled. For more information, contact Charlotte Melson at charlotte@theresearchfoundationkc.org or 816-276-4900.