Minnesota troopers talk to NRHEG sophomores

“How many of you already have your drivers’ license?” asked Minnesota State Trooper Herbert Moon as he looked out over the members of NRHEG’s 2024-’25 sophomore class assembled in the school commons the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 3. Then he asked how many had their learner permits. Altogether about 45% of the group indicated they were authorized to be at the wheel of a vehicle.

 

Moon and fellow trooper Nate Walton are part of the south central Minnesota “Toward Zero Deaths” (TZD) program. Their presentation was titled “Impact Teen Drivers.” Its purpose was to lead beginning drivers to consider their decisions and behaviors behind the wheel.

 

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, even though only six percent of drivers in Minnesota were between the ages of 15 and 19 in 2020, they represented 16% of drivers involved in traffic accidents. That year, teen drivers took part in more than 9,200 crashes among a total of almost 102,000 statewide.

 

Along with the two troopers, present for the day’s session were the South Central Region and statewide TZD program leaders (respectively) Vanessa Thongvivong and Annette Larson.

 

In a conversation with the Pioneer, Thongvivong explained the program targets sophomores

because, as beginners, they are in the process of forming their driving habits, while high school juniors and seniors have already established theirs. An essential part of the program’s message, she said, is that a single careless moment can change a driver’s life forever.

 

According to statistics provided during the presentation, 94% of teens say they always buckle up in the car. Another 90% say they would stop texting while driving. Some 84% of teens claim they would speak up if the driver was texting.

 

A video shown during the 50-minute presentation featured tragic incidents involving young drivers or passengers. One was a 17-year-old who was sitting in the back seat not wearing a seat belt: he was ejected from the car during a collision and died. A 21-year-old was feeling ill as he left work, fell asleep at the wheel and collided with another vehicle at an intersection, leading to the death of the other driver. A final teen was a passenger in a vehicle with an unlicensed friend who was looking at social media while driving. She died on her sixteenth birthday. The video featured tearful family members and friends, not only saddened by the incidents, but wondering what they might have done to prevent them.

 

Thongvivong, who spent six and a half years as a Minnesota trooper and has also worked with the state’s department of transportation, observed that highway deaths could be reduced by half if everyone always wore their seat belts.

 

The TZD program was started in Sweden in 1997 and is now in several states including Minnesota. This program includes efforts and data from America, Sweden and Australia. Troopers like Moon and Walton are given 4-hour training sessions, so they can be fully prepared to speak to young drivers. As the school year progresses, Larson said, “We have 30 different presentations to give yet until the end of December. There will also be an online course students and teachers can pick come spring.”

 

There are three websites attributed to this program, www.impactteendriver.org/Minnesota, www.whatslethal.com or www.createrealimpact.com. Impact Teen Drivers is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.