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MCDONOUGH COUNTY -- Macomb High School student Jill Kelso got her driver's license six months ago. But she's not your average driver. She's also an advocate for Operation Teen Safe Driving. She says she knows the importance of being focused on the road, that's why her group encourages teenagers to fight distractions while behind the wheel.

"When you're driving distracted, it's really hard to make smart decisions when you're driving. When you're texting and driving, it's like driving with twice the legal limit with alcohol in your system. It's just not safe," said Kelso.

It's organizations like Operation Teen Safe Driving that police believe kept fatal crashes to a record low.

"We think students are being trained earlier. We think EMS is progressing and improving every year. We know the trends in safety features in vehicles are improving and law enforcement plays a role," said Lt. Harry Douglas with Illinois State Police.

Lt. Douglas told KHQA drivers can expect much of the same this year. There will be more safety checkpoints to make sure drivers aren't driving impaired or without a seat belt.

Jill Kelso says she will continue reminding her peers to keep the music down and definitely not text and drive. Not only is it against the law, it can be deadly.

"Obviously, we don't want to lose any of our students. It would be a tragedy to lose a student to something that could have been easily prevented," Kelso said.

How the numbers stack up in other areas:

Northeast Missouri, In 2007.  There were 50 fatalities.  In 2008, there were 30 and in 2009, there were 25.  The total fatal accidents in Missouri in 2007 were 992.  In 2008, there were 960.  Last year, there were 868 fatalities.

 Illinois State Police in District 20, near Pittsfield reported seven fatal car crashes in 2009.