[In the player above, see the 10 most dangerous highways in Ohio.]

PERRY TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW) — State troopers last week pulled over a speeding teen driver who they clocked at nearly 50 mph over the limit.

Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers from the Ashland post on Tuesday stopped the teen along Interstate 71 South near milepost 192 in Perry Township, Ashland County, according to a statement from patrol Sgt. Bridget Matt.

(Courtesy of the Ohio State Highway Patrol)

That stretch of highway is a 70 mph zone, according to a Tuesday Facebook post.

“The leading cause of at-fault, youthful driver crashes is unsafe speed. #SlowDown,” reads the post.

Speeding has contributed to 96 crashes in Ashland County so far this year, 30 of which happened along I-71, according to the patrol’s crash statistics dashboard. Nine of them are believed to have caused serious injury.

Teen drivers contributed to more than 100,000 traffic crashes from 2021 to 2022, resulting in more than 400 deaths and 45,000 injuries, according to a Wednesday news release from the state patrol. The leading causes of crashes involving teen drivers were following too close and failure to yield.

“Poor decisions while driving can impact young drivers for the rest of their lives,” patrol Superintendent Col. Charles Jones is quoted in the release. “Each time our troopers have the chance to interact with a young driver, it is an opportunity to stress the importance of safe driving habits.”

The state patrol and Ohio Traffic Safety Office oversee the state’s DRIVE to Live program, which helps young drivers make good decisions. The state website Teach Your Teen to Drive also offers parents and caregivers tips on talking about the consequences of risky driving.