Inexperienced
drivers must face
harsh reality that cars are deadly
Here's a simple request for all young drivers
out there: Slow down, pay attention to other drivers, and use a designated
driver if you've been drinking or doing any kind of drug.
Too often lately, this newspaper has been the bearer of tragic news about local
young people killed in accidents. There have been several fatalities this
spring already, and a host of other accidents in the region have left kids
badly injured. There is nothing more heartbreaking than a loved one coming in
here to get extra copies of an obit. As graduation nears and summer begins, we
parents fear it will only get worse. We don't want to lose you.
Many people my age - 40-plus - have, in their life, taken extreme, unnecessary
risks behind the wheel of a car. We've driven after drinking too much, we've
driven too fast, and we've disregarded common sense on many occasions. Many of
us have lived to tell about it, even after smashing up cars or landing in jail
as a result of our actions. We're survivors.
Now we're older and have kids the same age as we were just yesterday, it seems,
and we're worried sick about you every time you get in a car.
The roads are dangerous around here, especially in the rural areas. They're
narrow, the shoulders are soft, people speed
constantly and most drive without any sense of awareness. They smoke, talk on
the phone and do just about everything but pay attention. Trucks are constantly
hauling goods to and from local industries, and it appears to be impossible for
them to ever slow down. The interstates are even worse.
There are tractors and other awkward farm implements all over this rural
county, and they will slowly pull over and let you pass if you just give them a
minute. There's really no hurry unless you're on the way to the emergency room.
Here are some facts and figures from the National Safety Council, whose focus
this year is teen driving and child safety seats:
- Teen car crashes account for 76 percent of all teen deaths caused
by unintentional injuries (ages 16 Ð 20). Homicide, the second leading
cause of death, accounts for 18 percent of teen mortality.
- More teen drivers die in car crashes between 1 and
Parents should restrict late night driving and opt to act as chauffeur. Better to pick your teen up at a dance than at the hospital or morgue. - The more teen passengers in the car, the greater the likelihood of
a crash. Teens tend to turn up the music and carry on more boisterously
with other teens in the car, causing serious driver distraction.
Parents should limit the number of teen passengers allowed to travel in the vehicle with a teen driver and the number of passengers must never exceed the number of working seat belts. - Speeding Ð not alcohol or drugs Ð is the number one cause of teen
driver car crashes.
Parents should caution their teens against speeding. Since some teens like to see how fast they can go, parents should make sure the brakes are in good mechanical order. - Safe driving contracts encourage communication between parent and
youth so parents can relate clear expectations to teens.
Parents are encouraged to
review the I Promise Program website www.ipromiseprogram.com
for such a contract. This program combines a multi-item safe driving contract
with a rear window decal that encourages reports on driver behavior as a means
of accountability. Any report received only goes back to the family. This
program has been developed with youth, parents, community members, police and
other organizations.
And don't forget to buckle up.
Contact:
Gary
Direnfeld, MSW, Executive Director
I Promise Program
20
(905) 628-4847 gary123@sympatico.ca www.ipromiseprogram.com