(Lexington) Oct. 21, 2004 - The Highway Patrol and Department of Public Safety officials are trying to get teen drivers, parents and teachers working together to cut down the increase of teen deaths on South Carolina roads.

This month alone, 15 teens have died on South Carolina roads in a 22 percent increase over last year. Statewide, 79 teenagers have been killed since January first and only two were wearing seat belts.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20-year-olds. Additionally, teen drivers are more likely to be involved in an injury or fatality related crash than any other group of licensed drivers.

Sue Chiddick took part in Thursday's news conference. She lost her 16-year-old son, Colin, and his girlfriend in a 2002 crash in the Newberry area. She wants everyone to know just how dangerous the situation is, "I think it's very important for the children to wear their seat belts, anybody to wear their seat belts. It's a law and they have to do it. It doesn't take too much to do that."

She says drivers need to take more responsibility, "I think we need to be more accountable for the way that we are driving. We have to stop driving fast. We have to stop pushing people off the road. We have to stop driving drunk, and we have to stop driving without our seat belts on. I think another important thing is, we have to take part in taking care of our children."

Ironically, her son was wearing a seat belt when the fatal accident took place, but she points out that the seat belt could not have prevented his death, "Colin died of a head injury. The seat belt would not have saved him. Sarah was wearing a seat belt also and she slipped underneath it."

Sue says wearing seatbelts is more than just safety, "I mean, the law says to wear your seat belt. If you wear your seat belt, you have more chance of surviving."

Young people often believe that tragic accidents cannot happen to them, and Sue says that the children who knew Colin and Sarah now know better, "And I think that they realized that they are not immortal, that it can happen to them. They have to understand that, you know, they just have to go out there and watch out for everybody else just as much as themselves."

The statistics indicate that seat belt usage does dramatically cut down on fatalities and serious injuries. Also, the Highway Patrol is encouraging young people to log on to their web site and take part in a program called Final Exam which is designed to address these issues and hopefully prevent more fatalities.

Reported by Jack Kuenzie
Updated 5:44pm by Chantelle Janelle