To the editor:

There was an article, two full pages, in the March 1 issue of USA Today about the number of teenage drivers killed in car crashes every day. The March 2 issue of the same paper carried more articles about the hazards of teen driving. There was a front-page picture of a 16-year-old girl in Harwood, Mo., who was driving her car on a Missouri highway when she lost control of her car, which rolled into a ditch. She died July 6, 2003.

During that same year, drivers age 16 to 19 that were killed in car crashes were shown by every state. Kansas had 79 deaths, and Missouri had 199. Male teen drivers are about 75 percent more likely than female teen drivers to be involved in fatal crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This article also tells us that in Britain and Germany, teens cannot drive until ages 17 and 18 respectively.

When you look at the parking lot at the high school on Louisiana Street you can get an idea of how many teens are driving their cars to school in Lawrence.

Lester C. Marsh,

Lawrence