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00:00:16.800Howdy everyone.
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00:00:23.600Welcome to Thinking Transportation, conversations about how we get ourselves and the stuff we need from one place to another.
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00:00:28.000I'm Allan Rutter with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
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00:00:31.519Younger drivers face a lot of challenges today.
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00:00:38.719Many are waiting longer to get their driver's licenses so that they have less time to develop on-the-road experience.
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00:00:46.320The siren song of their smartphones can distract them, and they could be impaired by substances or from a lack of sleep.
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00:00:58.560The good news is that research shows that equipped with good information on driving safety, teens can effectively communicate with each other, encouraging safer driver behavior.
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00:01:06.239Today, we're going to be learning about how TTI is powering peer-to-peer teen driving safety education.
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00:01:13.760So, today I have the pleasure of talking with two of my TTI colleagues who specialize in youth transportation safety.
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00:01:30.159I'm joined by Lisa Minjares-Kyle, who is Youth Transportation Safety Program Manager in TTI's Center for Transportation Safety; and by Stacey Tisdale, who is Assistant Program Manager with Lisa in the Youth Transportation Safety Program.
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00:01:33.359Lisa and Stacey, welcome to Thinking Transportation.
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00:01:35.379Excited to be hear.
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00:01:35.379Thank you for the invitation. This is great.
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00:01:47.519So one of the very cool things about working at TTI is the chance to work with so many smart people with interesting backgrounds.
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00:01:54.159Can you two explain how your journey brought you to transportation and to TTI?
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00:01:56.879Hey everyone, this is Stacey.
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00:02:01.840So 15 years ago, I was in the private sector and looking for new opportunities.
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00:02:06.159So I joined Teens in the Driver's Seat as, actually, a web developer.
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00:02:11.520And as many listeners understand, projects that needed attention just kept popping up.
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00:02:16.960So I always loved a great, you know, new project that I can really dive into.
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00:02:23.360So one thing led to another, including more education, some certifications, and here I am.
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00:02:26.080So you came by the web version.
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00:02:27.680I did.
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00:02:32.000And you know, I really don't work in that space anymore.
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00:02:37.360Well, this is Lisa, and my journey is a little different.
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00:02:51.439I started in the traffic safety space as an undergraduate under the Alcohol and Drug Education Center, and an expert worked there, and he fortunately gave me the opportunity to come with him to TTI when I graduated.
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00:02:56.240And I'm glad I jumped on that opportunity because I really never left.
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00:02:57.439I've been here ever since.
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00:03:01.039I will say, though, that my mother was a bus driver and still is.
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00:03:05.120And so transportation has always been near and dear to my heart.
00:03:05.120 -->
00:03:11.599I did have to admit to her about five years into my professional career that she was right about pretty much everything.
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00:03:14.159And that really hurt me to say that out loud.
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00:03:16.960And now I'm officially recording this.
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00:03:22.960But I really think the biggest piece that kept me here is that I discovered that I was a road safety nerd.
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00:03:28.159And I love learning about all elements of road safety and then teaching it to others.
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00:03:29.599That is so cool.
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00:03:42.719So now much of what you guys do in the Youth Transportation Safety Program, or here on out, I'm going to refer to this as YTS, is the kind of work you guys do in peer-to-peer training.
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00:03:57.039Tell our listeners a little bit about what we know about the effect of peer-to-peer training in adult and youth environments, and then how the YTS program is designed to maximize the effectiveness of peer-to-peer training.
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00:03:58.159So you're right.
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00:04:13.120We know that peer-to-peer is the most effective for youth, but we also focus on tools we are putting into the program and how these two things combined influence the third factor, which is driving behavior intentions.
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00:04:28.800So naturally, teens turn to their friends for information, but when you put better information into the hands of those teens so they can help educate, this dynamic feels more equal and the messages really resonate.
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00:04:40.240So it's been shown that peer-led learning often works even better than adult-led approaches and reflects an important developmental shift toward independence and connection.
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00:04:50.879So this is a lot different than adults who are more passive recipients of peer influence, and it's really quite interesting within that stage of their life.
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00:04:54.959But our work is not only about peer-to-peer, Allan.
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00:04:59.600We really want to make sure the resources we put into their hands are great teaching tools.
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00:05:02.720They're fun, they're interactive, they're educational.
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00:05:05.759This leads to better retention and likelihood.
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00:05:12.079They will share what they learned with someone else, their peers, and even sometimes not their peers.
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00:05:20.399So finally, program resources are also built on the theory of planned behavior, which Lisa really championed into the program.
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00:05:38.240And just to give a real quick one-sentence explanation for those that may not be familiar, this theory originally advanced the idea that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control predicts the likelihood an individual will do something.
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00:05:53.920But just to close this idea out, in later studies, which involved driving behaviors, it was found that moral constructs, habits, and emotional influences also impact these intentions.
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00:06:04.959So in our world, you know, we can put all the materials we want to into the hands of teens, but we have to ask, will it result in changed behaviors?
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00:06:18.319So the program in a nutshell is great free resources that influence placed into the hands of teens who learn to teach other teens and are then rewarded by the way of cash to their schools for doing it.
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00:06:25.120This with a lot of data collections for analysis, we believe is the absolute best approach.
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00:06:37.439So go back to the intentions part, how equipping teens with better information drives them to have the attitude to behave better.
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00:06:38.800Is that what's going on?
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00:06:39.680Right.
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00:07:02.160So in the arena of teens talking to teens, which we know happens anyway, we want to make sure that the information the original teen gets and passes along to the other teen is something that will resonate with them on an individual level to actually change their behavior.
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00:07:10.160So there's whole health education theories on this, and Lisa has that background and can probably talk to it more if you're interested.
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00:07:13.120I think it's a whole other podcast, though, really, honestly.
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00:07:23.600But yeah, we want to make sure that what we're giving out resonates enough on that individual level to change those behaviors, to impact those behaviors.
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00:07:27.199So when they finally get behind the wheel, they make better decisions.
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00:07:29.040That makes a whole lot of sense.
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00:07:49.759To add further to that, we recently underwent an outside program evaluation for our program effectiveness, and findings showed that students from high schools who participated in our TDS program, Teens in the Driver's Seat, engaged in less risky driving behaviors and find engaging in risky driving behavior less acceptable.
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00:07:54.319This is the case for several behavior areas, which is really exciting for us.
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00:08:00.000And these include less distracted driving, less marijuana-impaired driving, less driving after 10 p.m.
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00:08:05.439without an adult in the car, and more passengers buckling up when they get in the car.
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00:08:16.639This analysis looked at over 200 high schools over a period of two years, and we're excited to share these results and are looking forward to making these even better improvements down the line.
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00:08:17.759Well, that's impressive.
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00:08:22.720I mean, one, to have the discipline of wanting to check up on how well are we doing.
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00:08:26.959It's not about how many kids are we reaching, although we're talking about that in a little bit.
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00:08:29.600It's about what difference is being made.
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00:08:41.840And so it's pretty clear that you guys have real-time or near real-time feedback on the kinds of messages you're sending out are being heard and are being put into practice.
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00:08:42.639Correct.
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00:08:50.399So next year you guys are going to be celebrating your 25th year of the Youth Transportation Safety Program.
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00:08:52.720Bring us back in time a little bit.
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00:09:00.480Tell us how the program started, why transportation safety aimed at youth, and then a little bit about why San Antonio.
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00:09:01.840Sure.
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00:09:06.080So, like with many origin stories, ours starts with tragedy.
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00:09:13.1202001, the city of San Antonio lost 10 teens to car crashes in the span of six weeks.
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00:09:24.960So, of course, understandably, the community was devastated, and everyone was looking for answers, pointing fingers, trying to understand how many young lives could have been lost so quickly.
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00:09:29.759And unfortunately, the reality is it wasn't just local to San Antonio.
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00:09:35.600Across the U.S., nearly 6,000 teens were dying every year in car crashes.
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00:09:42.080To put that into perspective, that'd be the equivalent of a plane full of teens crashing every week for an entire year.
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00:09:50.240So imagine this a plane full of dreams, futures, and families that are forever changed by this loss.
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00:09:52.080So something had to be done.
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00:10:00.639So in 2002, the TDS program launched with one simple purpose stop the needless loss of teen lives on our roads.
00:10:00.639 -->
00:10:06.000And over the years, we've evolved and we've grown, but the why has never changed.
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00:10:07.919It continues to drive what we do.
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00:10:13.519It's what brings together our partners, our sponsors, and teens as we continue to work to solve this problem.
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00:10:19.120And I will say that we're fortunate to report that these numbers have gone down drastically over the years.
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00:10:28.799And that's in part due to advanced vehicle technologies, road improvements, and of course programming like ours that's helping to shift this in the right direction.
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00:10:40.799Yeah, it's a remarkable thing how, particularly for traffic safety and roadway fatalities, because they're discrete, they happen one at a time or two at a time, it doesn't attract the attention.
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00:10:51.039And so 10 teens within the span of six weeks, that's the proximity and focus that gets everybody to go, hey, that's that's not a good thing.
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00:10:56.159And I think that's what's so dangerous sometimes about traffic safety is that it's taken for granted.
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00:10:58.799Everybody rides in a car, everybody drives a car.
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00:11:00.159We see it every day.
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00:11:03.360And oftentimes it can be viewed more as an inconvenience, right?
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00:11:12.639You're commuting into work or you're commuting into school, and now you're delayed because of crash, and you're not really thinking about what's happening there, what's going on with those people.
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00:11:14.399It's more of an inconvenience.
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00:11:20.960So I think it's important for us to really remind ourselves these are real people, real lives being impacted by this.
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00:11:36.080Both in terms of the impacts on people's families and as you explained, but also to help us understand the real risks associated with getting behind the wheel, which we tend to, because we've done it, sublimate that risk and not really appreciate what's really going on.
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00:11:51.519When you guys have been studying youth transportation safety risk, so you know, how much of this is about the lack of experience or how much of it is about brain development and decision making, sort of the between 18 and 25-year-old.
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00:11:54.000I mean, I think about myself as a 25-year-old.
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00:11:58.960I was a real knucklehead until at 23 I got married, and at 25 we had a kid.
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00:12:01.600It's like, it's time to be an adult now, Allan.
00:12:01.600 -->
00:12:09.759Explain to our listeners a little bit about youth transportation safety and the youth part, experience and decision making.
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00:12:26.240Yeah, so I think the biggest piece that we've recognized over the years with research is that driving and experience combined with any risk factor, whether that's distracted driving, speeding, et cetera, elevates a young driver's crash risk.
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00:12:33.360As you think about anybody who is learning how to drive who has gone through that experience, they're learning a really big skill.
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00:12:42.879And so whenever you're trying to practice that very complicated new skill, adding anything else can result in an increase almost 17 times in some instances.
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00:12:49.200I think the other piece that you mentioned is yes, we know that youth development is currently in process.
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00:12:51.840So their frontal lobe more specifically.
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00:12:57.279And that part of your brain is really responsible for rational thinking, judgments, decision making.
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00:13:03.679And so our youth, unfortunately, are at a slight disadvantage just because those parts of their brain aren't fully formed.
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00:13:13.120And so we really want to recognize they're learning one of the most important life skills in a time where their brain is not fully capable of understanding all that information.
00:13:13.120 -->
00:13:18.960So it's a big factor in what we do as well in a lot of our programming, our education, et cetera.
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00:13:32.080Yeah, it sounds like so much of the messages you're trying to communicate to these young people is about changing some of those risky behaviors, which make those outcomes that much more dangerous.
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00:13:35.840I would add that it's a very push- and- pull system.
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00:13:40.559When you're looking at the whole thing, a lot of things have changed externally as well.
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00:13:43.279Driver's education is a big one of those.
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00:13:48.080You know, Texas has been on parent taught for years and years now.
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00:13:50.799A lot of other states are going the same way.
00:13:50.799 -->
00:13:53.759You know, driver's education is no longer in the school.
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00:14:12.480And so we're really relying on parents to get behind the wheel or in the seat, you know, with their kids behind the wheel and spend hours and hours teaching them something they're not equipped to do or have the time to do, sometimes have the patience to do.
00:14:12.480 -->
00:14:17.279And but we're relying on this system to put new drivers out on the road.
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00:14:27.039All the more reason to have a targeted way of helping teens communicate better content so that they can make better choices.
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00:14:31.759Let's talk a little bit about the reach of the Teens in the Driver's Seats program.
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00:14:36.720How many states are currently involved and how many schools are participating?
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00:14:44.960We're thrilled that so far this year, we are working with over 620 schools, our largest number to date.
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00:14:50.240These are mostly high schools, but we also work with middle schools, colleges, in some areas.
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00:14:58.080These schools represent a student population of almost 900,000 just in this school year.
00:14:58.080 -->
00:15:04.559And over the past year, so the past almost 25 years, we've worked with nearly 3,000 schools.
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00:15:08.399Many of these have continued the program for many years.
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00:15:11.840Wow. 900,000 population.
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00:15:13.200That's pretty impressive.
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00:15:16.639Yeah, these are in 32 of the 50 states.
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00:15:17.200Wow.
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00:15:17.600Okay.
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00:15:22.55932 states, 620 schools with a population of 900,000 kids.
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00:15:23.200That's--
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00:15:23.279Right. And we're not done.
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00:15:30.720Well, and in 25 years, that's a pretty impressive expansion of reach.
00:15:30.720 -->
00:15:38.559Now, one of the things you guys have told me about is every November you host a Youth Transportation Summit in San Antonio.
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00:15:40.960Tell us about this year's meeting.
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00:15:43.360How did it compare to previous years?
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00:15:48.799Yeah, so the summit is really the biggest thing we do every year.
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00:15:59.039It's our one dedicated day where we bring together schools, teachers, and students from across the country to focus on traffic safety in a really hands-on way.
00:15:59.039 -->
00:16:02.799So it's grown a lot since we first launched in 2014.
00:16:02.799 -->
00:16:10.559And back then, to provide some perspective, we had about 80 attendees from a little under 10 program schools.
00:16:10.559 -->
00:16:17.840And last year, we hit our biggest summit ever with almost 400 attendees from over 35 schools.
00:16:17.840 -->
00:16:22.159So that's more than a 120 percent jump from the previous year.
00:16:22.480 -->
00:16:26.559So the growth is exciting and honestly a little scary, right?
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00:16:32.559In the best possible ways, because it shows how much interest and momentum there is; but, a lot of students.
00:16:32.559 -->
00:16:41.919At the core of what we do with the summit, we're really built around three pillars where we want to educate, we want them to focus on implementation, and we want them to collaborate.
00:16:41.919 -->
00:16:50.320So the goal is to really support these schools in that space and ultimately give them resources to bring traffic safety back into their communities.
00:16:50.320 -->
00:16:57.360So we work hard to make this event fun, of course, because we're targeting youth and teens, and we want to make it engaging.
00:16:57.360 -->
00:16:59.360So we try to mix things up every year.
00:16:59.360 -->
00:17:08.079We try to use different strategies, but most importantly, this event in particular is a great space for our youth leaders to step in and take charge.
00:17:08.079 -->
00:17:13.519They help pick session topics, they choose the activities, they lead a lot of the sessions.
00:17:13.519 -->
00:17:17.599So our goal is to really try to step back so that they can step in.
00:17:17.599 -->
00:17:23.119The last thing I'll say on this is we're so lucky to have such incredible partners to help us do this.
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00:17:38.960Some show up and share powerful stories, others run sessions for us, and of course, our sponsors, like Texas Department of Transportation, National Road Safety Foundation, General Motors, and State Farm, to name a few, really support us on this.
00:17:38.960 -->
00:17:42.319And without that support, days like this wouldn't be possible.
00:17:42.640 -->
00:17:42.960Wow.
00:17:42.960 -->
00:17:45.920So it's one single day, 400 attendees.
00:17:45.920 -->
00:17:48.319The energy in that room has got to be something.
00:17:48.640 -->
00:17:49.200Oh, yes.
00:17:49.200 -->
00:17:50.880It's a sight to see.
00:17:51.359 -->
00:18:00.960And the three things you were talking about educate, help people, take that back and do something with it, and then help each other collaborate and learn from each other.
00:18:00.960 -->
00:18:15.920There's got to be some real synergy that happens with these guys who have been doing this at their school, show up in many times being on a plane or traveling for the first time, and then being in a big room and going, oh, it's not just me.
00:18:15.920 -->
00:18:18.240There's all kinds of people doing this.
00:18:18.559 -->
00:18:18.880Yes.
00:18:18.880 -->
00:18:22.799And I think that's what's some of the favorite things that we love to see.
00:18:22.799 -->
00:18:28.000We have advisors, we call them our teacher advisors, that have been doing the program for years.
00:18:28.000 -->
00:18:32.559And then we have some that show up and they're like, "This is the first time, I don't know what I'm doing.
00:18:32.559 -->
00:18:39.359Please help me." And so it's a beautiful thing to see them connect with more experienced advisors.
00:18:39.359 -->
00:18:45.200You have teens that we had a teen recently who that was the first time he'd ever been on a plane.
00:18:45.200 -->
00:18:47.839That was the first time he'd ever left his city.
00:18:47.839 -->
00:18:52.000And he was just so ecstatic and enamored with the whole experience.
00:18:52.000 -->
00:18:56.400And then he was connecting with other teens who had been like, oh yeah, this is my third summit.
00:18:56.400 -->
00:18:57.200This is so fun.
00:18:57.200 -->
00:18:58.400Let me show you the ropes.
00:18:58.400 -->
00:19:00.960It was just such great synergy.
00:19:00.960 -->
00:19:11.519And I think what's beautiful is when we build a network and allow for that collaboration to happen, we make everything that we do stronger because all of us are in this together.
00:19:11.519 -->
00:19:15.200And like, of course, an individual alone can't do it all.
00:19:15.200 -->
00:19:18.799But together, we can go so much further and do so much more.
00:19:19.440 -->
00:19:22.960I'll also mention that same team that Lisa brought up.
00:19:22.960 -->
00:19:33.920About a month later, they were all invited to go to New York City through the National Road Safety Foundation and do a presentation to the foundation founder.
00:19:33.920 -->
00:19:38.000And he got to go on that trip as well.
00:19:38.000 -->
00:19:42.720So he got to go cross- country, you know, with the help of our funders.
00:19:42.720 -->
00:19:46.319So it was a fantastic experience and great to see.
00:19:46.720 -->
00:19:56.400Well, and it strikes me as taking advantage of one of the big things about going to a conference or going to some sort of meeting is the people you meet and what you get from the people you're with.
00:19:56.400 -->
00:20:10.799It strikes me that one of the things you guys are building is in a relatively short time frame, you're really maximizing the kind of benefits and connections that these kids are going to be able to take back with them.
00:20:10.799 -->
00:20:12.400That's pretty remarkable.
00:20:12.880 -->
00:20:17.680You also have to remember that pivotal point that we talked about earlier as being a teen.
00:20:17.680 -->
00:20:23.359You know, you don't know what impact these experiences are going to have on these teens.
00:20:23.359 -->
00:20:35.440And, you know, really the trajectory that it can change for their lives, just opening up a world and those leadership abilities and just knowing that there's things out there that you can do.
00:20:35.440 -->
00:20:41.440I mean, giving teens these opportunities is really just paramount in this time.
00:20:41.839 -->
00:20:42.079Right.
00:20:42.079 -->
00:20:46.799What you guys were describing of the teens being involved in preparing for content.
00:20:46.799 -->
00:20:52.160I've been part of putting together conferences, and that in and of itself is a kind of thing.
00:20:52.160 -->
00:21:05.920So the fact that they're being involved in how the meeting is being planned and how the meeting is being delivered, it is a remarkable way of conferring or at least communicating to these young guys that you're important.
00:21:05.920 -->
00:21:07.839We want you to be involved.
00:21:07.839 -->
00:21:11.759And you're right, Stacey, that can make a huge difference going forward.
00:21:11.759 -->
00:21:17.359So this past November summit theme was building a safer future.
00:21:17.359 -->
00:21:22.160Tell us a little bit about how you incorporated that theme into activities at the summit.
00:21:22.559 -->
00:21:30.400When you think about that building, it's hard not to think about building blocks, namely many people's favorite pastime of Legos.
00:21:30.400 -->
00:21:37.599So our teen advisory board really ran with that idea and helped us build, quote unquote, a fantastic day.
00:21:37.599 -->
00:21:42.559We had 11 sessions and we started off just to set the stage.
00:21:42.559 -->
00:21:56.240We had a local art teacher who specializes in translating art projects into safety projects, do an activity with our participants that created a giant safety mural using paint and, of course, the Legos.
00:21:56.240 -->
00:21:59.599The day featured lessons on ad.
00:21:59.599 -->
00:22:30.400Advocacy, road safety, personal stories, advisor-specific training, team-led activities and gains, and of course, lots of prizes, food, food, food, and a lot of music that did not include any Willie Nelson, which all ultimately resulted in, you know, these attendees going back to nine states equipped with new skills, information, and connections towards building their own foundations of safety within their community.
00:22:30.880 -->
00:22:34.079The more I'm hearing about this thing, the more I want to be at one.
00:22:34.480 -->
00:22:35.119You're invited.
00:22:35.119 -->
00:22:37.519You're welcome to join us anytime.
00:22:37.839 -->
00:22:39.839It sounds really, really cool.
00:22:39.839 -->
00:22:45.119Now, Lisa, you talked about how State Farm has been a sponsor of the summit.
00:22:45.119 -->
00:22:49.039How long have they been involved with the YTS program?
00:22:49.039 -->
00:22:54.079And I understand they've recently expanded the scale of their sponsorship.
00:22:54.079 -->
00:22:58.880What does that deeper relationship mean for expanding our reach?
00:22:59.279 -->
00:23:06.079Yeah, we've been fortunate that State Farm has been a partner for almost 20 of our 25 years in existence.
00:23:06.079 -->
00:23:13.359And so this year, with their generous partnership, we're working with a record number of states to expand programming into high schools.
00:23:13.359 -->
00:23:20.880The states that we're expanding work into include Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, which were those existing partnerships.
00:23:20.880 -->
00:23:28.640And then the new states now include Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Missouri, and Tennessee.
00:23:28.640 -->
00:23:47.200What this really means for us is that the funding allows us to better support high school traffic safety programming in these areas, grow programming, of course, for those that do not have existing programs, provide resources, leadership opportunities, and of course, bringing those youth to San Antonio for our summit.
00:23:47.200 -->
00:23:51.039Overall, they've been our longest standing private sector sponsor.
00:23:51.039 -->
00:23:55.200And we're really grateful for that partnership and their continued belief in our program.
00:23:55.599 -->
00:23:56.559That's spectacular.
00:23:56.559 -->
00:24:05.359Now, as the program approaches its 25th year-- I think I've said that now five or six times--what are the prospects for the program as a whole?
00:24:05.359 -->
00:24:09.839I think both of you have talked about momentum that you're feeling or sensing.
00:24:09.839 -->
00:24:11.200What does that look like?
00:24:11.200 -->
00:24:19.200And how is that really showing up or manifesting in practical terms for your team?
00:24:19.680 -->
00:24:29.680As we mentioned with the recent evaluation, this has really been an exciting time for a team that works so hard to bring this best practice program to schools.
00:24:29.680 -->
00:24:36.480We're always looking for ways to build value for those we serve, and we'll always continue to do that for as long as we can.
00:24:36.480 -->
00:24:46.319We know that tapping into helping young drivers learn and engage in this time of their lives is an important part of the safe system approach, and we are here for it.
00:24:46.319 -->
00:24:56.480We know our great partners at State Farm, and really all of our funders feel the same way, and we do appreciate that camaraderie and that partnership with them.
00:24:56.480 -->
00:25:03.519We feel like we also need to give a shout out to the program schools and the advisors in the schools.
00:25:03.519 -->
00:25:11.920They are just the best and work so hard day in, day out, just to make sure their students are connected to opportunities like TDS.
00:25:11.920 -->
00:25:13.519They're not appreciated enough.
00:25:13.519 -->
00:25:17.839So if you have a teacher in your life, give them some love, give them some love from us.
00:25:18.160 -->
00:25:18.400Yeah.
00:25:18.400 -->
00:25:31.759And I'll add that, you know, thinking down the line 25 more years, ideally we would have worked ourselves out of a job because the roads are safer and cars are safer and we're not needed, but realistically, that's unlikely.
00:25:31.759 -->
00:25:41.920So we want to aim to expand our portfolio of programming, recognizing that there are several community partners outside of schools that can benefit from what we do.
00:25:41.920 -->
00:25:52.400We're also diving more into being a resource for other traffic safety advocates regarding data on what teens feel, believe, and self-report on their safe behaviors.
00:25:52.400 -->
00:25:57.039What are these trends that we're seeing, and how can we change them?
00:25:57.039 -->
00:26:01.039Because we recognize that we can't be everywhere and do everything.
00:26:01.039 -->
00:26:08.640Our work can still be a significant asset to others, though, who are looking to make meaningful changes within their communities in this space.
00:26:08.640 -->
00:26:21.680And lastly, my hope is that our program will continue to evolve to meet the needs of youth of tomorrow, factoring in concepts like micromobility, which basically is e-bikes, scooters, et cetera.
00:26:21.680 -->
00:26:28.319Advanced vehicle technologies, as we know, cars are getting safer, but the technology's a little bit complicated.
00:26:28.319 -->
00:26:32.799So, what does that mean for our young team drivers learning to drive in these vehicles?
00:26:32.799 -->
00:26:39.680And of course, Stacey mentioned the safe system approach, which essentially takes a more proactive look at safety.
00:26:39.680 -->
00:26:43.279So this will mean ultimately that our road systems are going to change.
00:26:43.279 -->
00:26:46.240So, what does that look like for our youth of tomorrow?
00:26:46.240 -->
00:26:53.440Ultimately, we know that our program has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, and I don't see that changing in the near future.
00:26:53.839 -->
00:27:10.160All of which sounds pretty exciting, both in terms of what you guys have described as the geographic reach of the program, the fact that you guys are thinking about different kinds of partners who also have capabilities of reaching out to teens and or the desire to do so.
00:27:10.160 -->
00:27:28.240It sounds like there are some real interesting opportunities for engaging different kinds of partners on the local level that have the ability that are around those kids, that are interested in taking advantage of the relationship or proximity that they have to be part of this education process.
00:27:28.240 -->
00:27:38.160So I can tell from our conversation today that you have plenty of passion for making transportation better for travelers, providers for these kids.
00:27:38.160 -->
00:27:42.720What are some other reasons that motivate you to do what you do each day?
00:27:43.359 -->
00:27:44.160I'll start.
00:27:44.160 -->
00:27:46.880For me, it's actually the unknown.
00:27:46.880 -->
00:27:58.000By unknown, I mean we do this fantastic work and send it out into the world, not always knowing who it's going to reach or what is going on in a person's life.
00:27:58.000 -->
00:28:14.079And the thought of a new teen driver learning something or thinking about actions due to an activity that they participated in maybe that day, maybe the week before, and then making the decision to buckle up or not take a risk is what really keeps me going.
00:28:14.079 -->
00:28:19.039I love the unknowns, the ones that don't show up in the data.
00:28:19.039 -->
00:28:22.559I think that those are the ones that I'm really aiming for.
00:28:22.880 -->
00:28:23.519Excellent.
00:28:23.759 -->
00:28:24.000Yeah.
00:28:24.000 -->
00:28:33.119And for me, it's a little bit more of a personal mission, not only as a mother of two, but as a daughter who knows what it's like to lose a parent to a car crash.
00:28:33.119 -->
00:28:40.559I think if one thing I do helps another to never experience that, to me, it's a mission worth investing in.
00:28:40.559 -->
00:28:48.480I'm also passionate because our program is helping to change the future of road safety by advocating youth to be those change agents.
00:28:48.480 -->
00:28:57.200Much like seatbelts or smoking, our goal is to create a culture where safe behaviors are valued and prioritized and unsafe behaviors aren't.
00:28:57.200 -->
00:29:03.359So by doing this, I know in my heart, I'm helping to create a safer environment for my children and my family.
00:29:03.359 -->
00:29:05.119And that means the world to me.
00:29:05.839 -->
00:29:08.000Well, that's a powerful thing for both of you.
00:29:08.000 -->
00:29:10.400Not that I would have expected anything less.
00:29:10.400 -->
00:29:25.920I really appreciate both of you taking time today to join us and help our listeners understand the really exciting work that's being done across the country, making driving experiences over a lifetime start on a good footing.
00:29:25.920 -->
00:29:28.319So really appreciate you guys joining us today.
00:29:28.799 -->
00:29:29.440Anytime.
00:29:29.440 -->
00:29:30.960We appreciate you so much.
00:29:30.960 -->
00:29:33.359We will talk about the programming all day long.
00:29:33.440 -->
00:29:35.599Thank you for having us.
00:29:37.039 -->
00:29:45.359I am so impressed by the growing impact and reach of the team driver safety programs that Lisa, Stacey, and their program are delivering.
00:29:45.359 -->
00:29:52.160I can't wait to hear about their plans for the program's 25th anniversary celebrations this coming fall.
00:29:52.160 -->
00:29:54.960Thanks for listening.
00:29:54.960 -->
00:30:02.640If you liked what you heard or learned something, please take just a minute to give us a review, subscribe, and share this episode.
00:30:02.640 -->
00:30:10.640I invite you to join us next time for another conversation about getting ourselves and the stuff we need from point A to point B.
00:30:10.640 -->
00:30:20.240Thinking Transportation is a production of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, a member of The Texas A&M University System.
00:30:20.240 -->
00:30:23.440The show is edited and produced by Chris Pourteau.
00:30:23.440 -->
00:30:25.680I'm your host, Allan Rutter.
00:30:25.680 -->
00:30:27.599Thanks again for joining us.
00:30:27.599 -->
00:30:29.200We'll see you next time.
