Katie Couric, Michelin join on teen driver safety

Teens can recite lyrics to rap songs, know where to find a cheap hamburger and how to outwit parental controls on electronics.

But when it comes to basic car safety, many draw a blank, studies show.

They know they're supposed to wear seat belts and not text while they drive, but they are ignorant about how caring for tires can save their lives.

That's where Michelin comes in. The tiremaker's North American operation is launching a safety campaign aimed at teen driver safety. It's joining with veteran newswoman Katie Couric, now with Yahoo, to try to educate teens. Drivers are encouraged to share their advice on the subject on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at #SharingSafety.

The campaign ties into National Teen Driver Safety Week. But for Couric, it's personal. She says she's gone through worries about driving safety with her own kids. The campaign also dovetails with lessons from her book, The Best Advice I Ever Got. 

Even though about 12% of car crashes involve improper tire pressure, many teens don't know how to check pressure or what the tire pressure warning light on a car means, says Michelin North America President Pete Selleck.

One goal is to underscore to drivers, teens included, that they should check their tire pressure once a month, according to Selleck. Michelin is also concerned about overall driver safety. It says it conducted a survey earlier this month. In it, Michelin found:

•Some 81% of drivers rank themselves highly as highly confident in their driving skills but 66% have felt unsafe when someone else was at the wheel.

•Another 69% say they have seen other motorists failing to adhere to safe driving practices.

•Three out of four admit to being back-seat drivers.