It’s National Teen Driver Safety Week and some local students are spreading the word about safety behind the wheel while advocating for more laws.

Students at Indian Hills High School in Oakland created the “Click Clack Front and Back” program in 2019 to convey that message. They use social media, websites and YouTube videos to help spread their message about traffic safety.

Sydney Zearfaus and Samantha Lampone are seniors in the student-run group.

"I think it’s important to highlight how important it is to be a safe driver and to learn how to be a safe driver, especially at such a young age,” Zearfaus says.

"As we start driving, for me it’s very important to understand everything that’s going on around us. Understanding yourself as a driver, understanding others around you and knowing how to properly navigate the roads to be safe for yourself, the people in your car and others on the road,” says Lampone.

According to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and disability for teens in NJ and across the United States. In NJ an average of 69 fatal teen driver crashes happen each year.

Jill Fackelman is the driver, health and physical education teacher at Indian Hills High School.

"The first year and a half to two years after they’re driving is when they’re more likely to have crashes, hence why the Graduated Licensed Driver Program was put into place to build them up, to build up their skills and get the accustomed to the skill of driving,” says Fackelman.

The students are working with the state Legislature to advocate for two bills that would enhance the rear seat belt law to primary enforcement and deter those from not using their seatbelts in the back seat.

Lampone says getting this law passed is front of mind for the group.

"It has been a big goal of ours to push for that to be illegal,” she says.

Zearfaus wants to remind her peers of the dangers of not wearing their seatbelts in the back seat.

“In a crash, that person can be launched forward, injuring the people in front of them and also fatally injuring themselves,” she says.

“Click Clack Front and Back” participated in the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey’s UGot Brains Champion Schools project where they create campaigns to promote safe driving among fellow teens. And they were this year’s grand prize winners.