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A new law will be coming into effect November 1 that will require teen drivers to complete work zone safe and first responder safety training before applying for their intermediate driver's license.
Tom Robins, founder of Work Zone Safe, said the requirement comes at a time where roadway fatalities are all too common.
New law mandates teen drivers to undergo safety training for work zones and first responders (KOKH)
"So we've had over 70 Oklahoma Department of Transportation and turnpike employees killed in the work zone in Oklahoma. And that's actually more employees killed than highway patrolmen," he said.
Robins said work zone workers and first responders being killed by distracted drivers on the side of highways and roadways is a problem not just in Oklahoma, but nationwide. So much, in fact, that he created the work zone safe program, an online course geared towards educating those new to driving abut the responsibility they have.
"We need to have a commitment that all of us come home safe. And so that's really modernizing these tools and giving those teens that perspective early on and that support that they need. Our goal is to hopefully save lives; their lives, and of course those of workers and first responders," he said.
According to Work Zone Safe's website, traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities in the United States. Robins said a common denominator in all kinds of crashes, a good amount of the time, is distracted driving.
"We know, and...
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