BEHIND the WHEEL
Teens
urged to take driving seriously
Byline: Kevin Simpson
It seems appropriate that Fitzgerald - a rural Normal resident and
soon-to-be sophomore at
Fitzgerald bypassed traditional high school driver's education in
favor of classes through
"Not only do you feel safer but your parents feel safer when
you're driving and so do the people with you," said Fitzgerald, daughter
of Mike Fitzgerald of rural
State law requires that teens have 30 hours of classroom
instruction, 12 hours of driving/observation and another 25 hours of driving
with parents or guardians, said Reeder Transportation owner Elizabeth Reeder.
But Reeder recommends that teen-agers practice well in excess of
the state requirement. A minimum of six months of parent-supervised driving
will help ensure sound driving habits. It also reinforces that parents must
practice responsible driving practices at all times, she said.
Parents and teens alike should avoid in-car distractions, drive
defensively and adhere to all traffic laws, said Reeder.
"We talk a lot about peer pressure and the effect it has on
driving," said Reeder. "They (teen-agers) have to focus on their
driving because they have their own lives in their hands and everybody else's.
They have to know how to make rational decisions."
In
state's licensed drivers.
Preventing deaths and serious injury is the premise of the "I
Promise" program, a Canada-based group that promotes safe teen driving
habits.
The "I Promise" program offers a driving contract in
which teens and parents agree to follow several rules including driving sober,
limiting the number of passengers in a car, wearing seat belts and staying
focused while driving, among others. "I Promise" also provides
stickers for family vehicles inviting others to report erratic driving, which
is documented and provided to parents.
"Parents are role models for responsible driving
behavior," said
Seat-belt usage may be the single most important safety habit a new
driver can learn, said DeWitt County Sheriff Roger Massey, chairman for
Tri-County Operation Cool, which targets about 10,000 14- to 18-year-olds in 22
schools in McLean, Livingston and DeWitt counties.
In 1997, eight teens from the three counties were killed in
accidents in which police thought seat-belt usage might have saved their lives.
Among them was Massey's daughter, Crystal, who died in a crash in rural
Operation Cool began the following year, when the number of
fatalities dropped to three.
Two crashes claimed the lives of area teens in 2001, two in 2000
and none in 1999. Since the program's inception there have been 65 major
accidents involving teen-agers from the three-county area who survived with
little or no injury because they were belted.
"We consider that the program is having an impact on
that," said Massey. "If you're at least belted, you have a chance of
surviving even if you do something stupid."
Fitzgerald said she won't take driving and the responsibility that
accompanies it for granted. She and her friends plan to keep risks to a
minimum.
"My friends and I are really mature and I don't think it'll be
a problem at all," said Fitzgerald. "It (driving) looks easy but I
think it'll be hard starting off. But I think as time goes by it'll get easier.
It's a matter of
being careful and not acting stupid."
Program lets parents monitor new drivers. The
"I Promise" program was developed to promote safe
driving habits for families with young drivers. It includes a
parent-youth safe-driving contract, a rear window decal and a one-year
monitoring service.
The contract includes promises to drive sober, obey
traffic laws, drive defensively and to stay focused on
the road, among others.
It also includes a decal with a toll-free number
to be placed in the rear window of family vehicles. This enables other
drivers to report on driver behavior, a concept similar to services used by
trucking companies to encourage responsible driving.
Calls are taken by an "I Promise" call
center, which then mails confidential reports to parents. Parents and
their teen-age drivers are encouraged to discuss reports and modify driving
habits accordingly.
The cost of the "I Promise" program is
$49, plus taxes where applicable. A second year of registration costs
$24. For more information on the "I Promise" program, based in
Contact:
Gary Direnfeld, MSW,
Executive Director
I Promise Program
20
(905) 628-4847
gary123@sympatico.ca
www.ipromiseprogram.com