'Do the right thing': Wake County teens learning ways to avoid dangers behind the wheel

Teen drivers across Wake County are learning about ways to avoid danger behind the wheel.

The program, StreetSafe, teamed up with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and Fuquay Varina Police on Saturday to show young drivers real-life scenarios of what could go wrong.

“It only takes a fraction of a second, looking at your phone or somewhere else, for a crash to occur,” said Todd Radabaugh, StreetSafe Executive Director.

StreetSafe is a hands-on driving program for young people that teaches them about road risks.

Radabaugh told WRAL that students' road safety lessons start at home.

“Set a good example, parents,” Radabaugh said. “We don’t want our young people texting or speeding or not wearing their seatbelts.”

The time between Memorial Day and Labor Day is known as the 100 deadliest days of summer.

The number of deadly crashes involving teen drivers spikes nearly 30% over this period, according to the National Road Safety Federation.

“I’d hate to be a part of that statistic,” said teen driver, Alex Kittel.

Kittel was one of the participants in Saturday’s program. He joins students like Tucker Parrish in encouraging other teens to drive carefully this summer.

“Summer is a pretty rowdy time,” Parrish said. “Everyone is out of school, but we definitely need to always take safety into account.”

Soon-to-be driver, Eastyn Edmond, says his main takeaway from the program was to avoid speeding and distractions.

“Do the right thing, because doing the right thing is what can save your life and save others’ lives,” he said.