Mississippi among nation's top states for teen fatalities
Seventeen-year-old Trameya Thomas of Ashland described herself on her Facebook page as being a Christian who enjoys cheering, singing and dancing, and cooking.
"Anything else involving music and heart and creativity," she wrote. "When you get to know me and why I am the way I am, I will start making sense to you. I love with my whole self and care for what I love."
On April 22, Thomas played the unbelted teen victim of a fatal car crash in a simulation held at her high school in Benton County. She and others wore full makeup to look like they had been involved in a wreck, and authorities showed them what the fallout of and response to a catastrophic wreck can be.
A month later, on May 23, Thomas was killed in a real-life car crash. She was riding with her 19-year-old sister, Wynter, when she lost control of the vehicle and it hit a ditch. Authorities said as far as they could see, the girls weren't texting or speeding.
The unthinkable tragedy of the loss was compounded by the eerie coincidence.
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"We really don't know that much about it, we think they were on their way back to the school," said Sheriff A.A. McMullen. "I don't think they were doing any excessive speed. They were doing the speed limit, I think they were just laughing and talking and took their eyes off the road for a second or two."
According to a recent study by CarInsurance.com, Mississippi has the third-highest teen fatality rate in the nation. It ranks 47 out of 51 (including Washington D.C.) on a list of "safest states for teen drivers."
Another study shows that May is the deadliest month for teen drivers.
"I ask every school I go in, 'You guys have more education than any other driving age group. No other age group is sitting in drivers ed, no other age group has a trooper standing in front of them telling them how to be safe. So why do you lead all other age groups in fatalities?'" said Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Ray Hall. "I think as teenagers, we hear the message, we believe it and we preach it, but actually applying it? We feel like we’re invincible. It won’t happen to me. We're driving around unbuckled, texting and driving, making bad decisions.'"
MHP spokesman Capt.Johnny Poulos said that in spite of increased awareness of safety issues on the roads, crashes on state roads and highways are up from 5,074 from January to May 23, 2015, to 5,545 in the same time period this year.
"You’d think loss of life would really make people think when it comes to driving, but the numbers keep increasing," he said.
Poulos said distracted driving is a leading cause of accidents in all traffic fatalities, but teens are particularly prone to them. He said safety experts believe Mississippi's texting and driving ban is not enough.
"They recommend a ban on hand held cell phones while driving," he said. "You’ve got to be hands free. They’re saying that’s contributing to crashes."
Joe Woods, vice-president of state government relations for Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, agrees.
"You can still drive down the street talking on the phone, and from there you can be tempted to check your emails. One thing that really needs to be done is to ban the use of handheld electronic devices while driving," he said. "Of course, you’ve got to have the ability to enforce that. It takes a commitment of resources to enforce the laws."
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According to the survey, nine percent of teen drivers in Mississippi said they drink and drive. Almost half (44 percent) admit to texting and emailing while driving.
Mississippi ranks 21st in teen insurance cost, at an average of $3,804 a year.
CarInsurance.com did a nationwide survey of what behaviors parents allowed their teens to engage in while driving.
- Driving friends: 33 percent
- Driving at night: 30 percent
- Using cellphone: 29 percent
- Driving curfew: 27 percent
- Driving unsupervised: 19 percent
- None: 41 percent
Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.