Inexperience behind the wheel
Experts cite
causes for teen-driving accidents
By John Hacker
Globe Staff Writer
Mistakes,
bad decisions and the inexperience of youth were among the causes cited for
And since August, at least three of those victims have
been
Amber
“Abbie” McGee, 19, and Raven Fields, 15, both of
According
to one survivor, the accident happened when McGee and another woman in the car,
Melissa Taylor, 20,
On
Aug. 6, Isaac Lehman, 15, rural Jasper, was killed in a one-vehicle accident
when the 16-year-old driver lost control of his truck and it overturned, ejecting
Lehman.
According
to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an insurance industry organization,
teen drivers have the highest crash rate of any age group, including elderly
drivers.
The
institute said in 2000, teenagers made up 14 percent of the almost 42,000 people
killed in the
The
Insurance Institute, the Automobile Association of America, driving experts
and law enforcement officers all say the same thing about why this is so — immaturity
and a lack of driving experience.
“Children
are not instantly expert drivers when they get that driver’s license,” said
Kent Casey, a spokesman for the Missouri State Highway
Patrol. “They are going to make mistakes in driving and in judgment. As parents
we don’t spend enough time talking with our children and explaining why we do
some things and why we don’t do others.”
Setting
the example
Casey
said he speaks to young people at schools many times a year about driving safety,
but parents are much more effective examples when it comes to safe driving techniques.
“Preparation
and exposure to good habits is the key,” Casey said. “Parents need to ride with
their kids and set good examples and be good role models. Many parents have
radar detectors in their cars and those are sending a subliminal message to
the kids that they can do whatever they want as long as they don’t
get caught.
Casey
said the disappearance of driver education courses from high school curriculum
is contributing to the number of inexperienced young drivers on the road.
“The
Superintendent
Jeff Kyle said the Jasper Board of Education only put driver education back
in the curriculum two years ago.
“Driver’s
education has always been important to me and the board decided it was important
to them as well,” Kyle said. “It’s a required course and it’s usually taken
during the sophomore year, although that depends on when the child turns 16.”
Jessica
Giles, 16, a student currently taking driver education at Jasper, said she is
getting practical experience and advice in driving that she wouldn’t
have gotten any other way.
“I’m
glad I got the chance to take the course,” Giles said. “It’s an extra chance
to drive and learn how to do it right. We’re learning correct driving habits
and to pay attention to the road and to how other drivers react.”
‘Obvious
problems’
Joplin
School Superintendent Jim Simpson said driver education in his district was
the victim of a lack of instructors and falling demand from students.
Simpson
said driver education was a summer class taught by an individual from
“We
lost our cars,” Simpson said. “We won’t be fronting or promoting the class next
summer. The dealerships found out driver’s education is
not sponsored by the district so they decided not to provide the car.”
He
said insurance companies stopped offering discounts for students who took driver
education and parents stopped pushing their kids to take the class.
Michael
Right, vice president for public affairs for AAA, said his group still offers
discounted insurance premiums for driver education students, but many insurance
companies dropped the incentive after a study released in the 1980s.
“There
was a study that was done in
Right
said schools should reconsider the class for the children’s sake.
“Traffic
accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers,” Right said. “Not
dope, not gangs, not any of those. I think people worry about a lot of things
that probably won’t happen to them and they don’t worry about the most obvious
problems.”
Law
stresses experience
The
The
graduated driver’s license, which went into effect in January 2001, allows a
student to get a learner’s permit at age 15 instead of 15 1/2. With that permit,
the youngster can only drive with a licensed adult in the car.
In
order to get the intermediate driver’s license, a parent or guardian must certify
that the child has driven at least 20 hours with a licensed adult in the car.
The
intermediate driver’s license lasts from ages 16 to 18 and allows a young driver
to drive under limitations:
•
The child can’t drive between the hours of
•
The young driver cannot be caught with alcohol.
•
Everyone in the car must wear a seat belt.
The
Missouri State Highway Patrol said it’s too early to
tell if the graduated driver’s license is having the desired effect.
In
the meantime,
Direnfeld
said he got the idea for his program from companies that put decals on the outside
of their vehicles that give motorists a toll-free telephone number to call if
the driver is driving poorly.
He
said parents and children sign an agreement that lays down the responsibilities
of the parents and the children.
Once
the children and parents sign the agreement, they put a decal on their car providing
a toll-free number, provided by the “I Promise Program,” where others can call
if they see either the parents or the child driving irresponsibility.
“The
decal cements the agreement between the parents and children,” Direnfeld said.
“The goal is not to catch bad driving as much as it is to encourage safe driving.
The information that comes into the call center is held in confidence and only
goes back to the parents.”
Direnfeld
said he started the program in 2000 as his own child prepared to turn 16 and
start driving.
On
the Net:
• Information about young drivers is on the Auto Club’s Web site at http:// www.ouraaa.com
• Direnfeld’s “I Promise Program” is at http://www.ipromiseprogram.com
• Information about
I Promise Program Inc.
20
(905) 628-4847
gary123@sympatico.ca
www.ipromiseprogram.com