Alcohol consumption has been overtaken by the use of cell phones, particularly among young drivers, as the leading cause for accidents on the road. Despite all of the billboards and television advertisements dedicated to preventing this epidemic, an uphill battle remains.

In an effort to educate the public of the dangers that exist on the roads, the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles hosted a kick-off to National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW).

Established by Congress in 2007, NTDSW takes place across the country during the third week of October each year in an effort to educate young, as well as experienced drivers, about dangers behind the wheel and what they can do to minimize them.

This year’s event began at the DMV Headquarters in Cranston on Monday afternoon. Police officers from across the state lined the back of the room behind the podium, as parents, teens, driving instructors and others, including Gaby Abbate, the executive director of RI MADD, and Anthony Silva, administrator of the RI DMV, had the same message for their audience: cell phones and driving do not go together.

Captain Karen Pinch of the Rhode Island State Police shared a personal story about driving dangers. Pinch’s 16-year-old son was involved in a car accident, so both as an officer of the law and as a mother she knows the realities and dangers that exist on the road.

“Many people think seatbelts aren’t for tough guys,” she said. “They think that they are too cool to wear them.”

Checking text messages while driving, even for just a few seconds, can also be a life-threatening decision.

“That split-second can mean the difference between hitting a tree, or killing a mother and her son in another car,” Pinch said.

One of the most difficult and frustrating aspects of driving fatalities related to cell phone use is the fact that nearly all of them are preventable.

“One of the worst things as a police officer is having to tell parents that their child has been killed, when it could have been prevented had they just followed the law,” Pinch said.

The event was hosted by The Parents’ Supervised Driving Program, which emphasizes parent involvement during early driving years in an effort to get them to become better, smarter and safer drivers. Studies have shown that young drivers are far less likely to get into accidents when they are in the car with a driver over the age of 35 who has years of driving experience of their own.

“Parents are the key to assuring the safety of teen drivers,” said Jeff Larson, president of Safe Roads Alliance.

“I only wish this program had been around earlier,” Abbate added.

Governor Lincoln Chafee, an advocate of the program, released a statement calling upon Rhode Islanders to take greater precautionary measures on the road.

“As governor, I ask that you do your part to ensure that our roads remain safe,” he said. “When you get behind the wheel, always remember to buckle up, pay attention at all times, do not send text messages and never, ever drink and drive.”

Michael Behm, a father of a 17-year-old from Cranston, found the program to be helpful in assisting his son with earning his driver’s license. It also educated him about the modern day components of driving, some of which did not exist when he was first learning.

He gave the example of how, in today’s driving world, new drivers are taught to hold their hands on the steering wheel at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock due to developments in airbags, instead of the traditional position at 10 and 2 o’clock, something he would not have known if not for the program.

“It’s good for parents and great for kids,” he said. “The guide’s updates were extremely valuable in helping prepare my son to successfully pass his road test and for his future driving experience.”