In the 1950 driver's education film, “Last Date,” actor Dick York plays Nick, a bad boy who drives recklessly.

A peer warns Nick that he's destined to commit “teenicide,” defined in the film as “the fine art of killing yourself, and maybe someone else, with an automobile before you reach the age of 20.”

Predictably, a subsequent joyride ends with Nick dead and his date Jeanne disfigured for life.

Nearly 70 years later, teens are going on fewer formal dates, but vehicular accidents are still a leading cause of death, according to study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In 2016, more than 4,000 U.S. children and adolescents were killed in car crashes. That’s almost 11 a day. And teen drivers are nearly three times more likely than older drivers to be in a fatal crash.

That doesn't mean teens shouldn't drive, but they need the tools to do so safely. Research shows that when parents and teens talk about rules for safe driving and come to a formal verbal or written agreement, it reduces risky driving behaviors.

Other important steps include:

• Set a good example. Teens who have seen their parents drink and drive are three times more likely to follow in their footsteps.

• Limit the number of passengers in the car while your teen (up to age 18) is driving. One other teen passenger, maximum.

And no driving after 9 p.m.