HOUSTON --- The Texas Department of Transportation says Interstate-45 in Harris County is the most dangerous highway in Texas if you are a teenage driver.
A study of accident statistics shows that between 2006 and 2010, I-45 recorded the most accidents involving teens between the age of 15 and 19. There were 3,091 teen-involved crashes in the Harris County section of I-45. Interstate-10 in Harris County was second on the list with 1,910 crashes involving teens.
The top-15 worst in the state also included Highway 59, FM 1960, and the 610 Loop.
"I'm a crazy driver,” admitted Maria Sanchez, as she was leaving Spring High School right next to I-45. "I speed a lot."
Her boyfriend Hector Briones said they haven’t considered the dangers.
"Until one of us get into, like, a serious accident, then we start thinking about it,” Briones said.
Erica Moriarty, a 17-year-old high school student in Katy, said the numbers are not surprising. She is not surprised because she is one of more than a dozen local-area students who helped produce a documentary called “Chronicles of a Teen Killer.” Posted just this week on YouTube, it is a 30-minute effort that tries to scare teens away from the dangers of drinking and driving. The students worked with the Houston Police Department, the Houston Galveston Area Council, and Texas Pictures to show the harsh realities of drunk driving.
"A lot of teens think that they're invincible and so they'll drive crazy and not really pay attention all the time,” said Moriarty.
In the U.S., each year, more than 4,000 teens die in car crashes. It is the leading cause of death for teens.
And the next 100 days -- between Memorial Day and Labor Day -- are statistically the worst for teens.
"Teen driving is kind of scary, but granted, there are those teens that are careful, but there's a lot that aren't,” Moriarty said.
And the teens that aren't careful are the teens they hope are listening.
More info:
Chronicles of a Teen Killer
Chronicles of a Teen Killer (Facebook)
