Troopers encourage teens to Drive to Live

The North Carolina Highway Patrol is paying special attention to teen drivers this week.

As part of operation Drive to Live, troopers are concentrating on the roadways near high schools.

Among the violations they’re enforcing are speeding, following too closely, seat belt usage, and careless and reckless driving.

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for North Carolina teens. Troopers are working to change that.

“The biggest thing is, number one, getting the awareness out there and showing aggressive enforcement. That way we can show people that in the community that we are proactive and we are trying to make a difference in teen lives,” said Trooper Phillips of the NC Highway Patrol.

In the last four years, 554 North Carolina teens have been killed in traffic accidents; 126 of those deaths happened last year.