BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers, according to California Highway Patrol .

Every day, about eight teenagers die due to motor vehicle crashes, with hundreds more injured, according to the CDC .

So what is the CHP doing to drive down these numbers?

Officer Jorge Toro with CHP Bakersfield says, “We go over crash avoidance techniques, we go over some of the primary crash factors, I show them a 20-minute video of a real-life case that happened in Santa Ana—a 16-year-old boy killed five of his passengers on the Santa Ana Freeway. We talk about the requirements on getting your graduate driver’s licensing, and we also go over a little bit about DUI.”

The Start Smart program is geared towards newly licensed drivers, t

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