SPRINGFIELD - A week after proposing sweeping teen driver reforms, state officials are hoping to drive home their point with a new ad campaign aimed at young drivers and their passengers.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Secretary of State Jesse White announced the campaign which is entitled, "UR the Spokesperson." The message is meant to encourage teens and young adults to speak out when they are in the car with friends and don't feel safe.

The announcement comes just days after White promised to push for tighter laws governing teen drivers. White's suggested laws would restrict night driving, triple the time a teen must hold a learner's permit, and force teens to wait longer before allowing them to drive with other teens who are not relatives.

White said he hopes the campaign will raise awareness about the dangers of reckless driving.

"It is important that we take a very comprehensive approach to improving teen driver safety," he said in a prepared statement. "This public awareness campaign, in conjunction with more parental involvement and passage of the new laws proposed by my teen driver safety task force, will reduce the number of crashes involving young drivers."

The campaign will include public service advertisements, a website and a contest which has yet to be launched. Unlike many other teen driver advertisements the "UR the Spokesperson" campaign will focus more on teen passengers, not drivers, and encourage them speak up.

Numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show more than 300,000 teens are injured in car crashes each year. Nearly 8,000 are involved in fatal crashes and 3,500 are killed.