Make a promise to drive safely

Peoria, IL - May 4, 2002

Of all the perils facing teen-agers today, none is deadlier than a teen in a car. If you needed a reminder, a trio of Canton-area teens died in a prom night accident in Fulton County this past weekend.

Across North America, over 8,000 kids and teens are killed and more than 400,000 are hurt each year due to car crashes, according to "I Promise," a Canadian-based advocacy group promoting teen driving safety.

The highest-risk age for drivers is also the youngest: 16, "I Promise" says, citing U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics. And among 16-year-olds in a car, the most statistically likely to be killed is a female passenger.

Prom season results in more teen-aged female passengers than any other time of the year. And prom, graduation and the summertime result in a cluster of prime teen driving risks: speeding, alcohol use, multiple passengers and late-night driving, all of which were initially suspected in the recent Fulton County crash.

A traffic safety conference in Peoria last year had other high-profile examples of teen driving risks: Mayor Dave Ransburg showed his S-shaped facial scar caused when his head was knocked through a windshield when he was 13 and not wearing a seat belt.

And Journal Star associate editor Shelley Epstein spoke of his 18-year-old daughter, Jamie Epstein, an unbelted passenger who died last spring in a car crash.

Some teen safe-driving rules offered by "I Promise" include:

· Checking your car's brakes and brake fluid because teens are more apt to speed and need good brakes.

· Capping the number of passengers your teen can carry, to limit distractions.

· Leading by example, and never drinking and driving.

· Insisting that teens wear seat belts and wearing yours, too.

· Barring your teen from driving after midnight. If they need to get around in the wee hours, they should car pool with another parent, get a taxi or have you act as a chauffeur.

The "I Promise" program also offers a driving contract program in which teens and parents sign a pact vowing to follow several rules - "I promise to drive sober, I promise to wear my seat belt, I promise to drive defensively, I promise to keep my mind on the road," etc. - and "How am I driving" stickers that can be affixed onto family cars, allowing passers-by to call in tips toll-free to "I Promise" staff.

Copies of driving reports are then mailed to the parents, containing any tips gleaned from passers-by. The cost of the program is $49.

For more information, call (905) 628-4847 or (866) 879-1999. On the Web, go to www.ipromiseprogram.com

Omar Sofradzija covers transportation issues for the Journal Star. His column appears every other Saturday. He can be reached at 686-3187 or osofradzija@pjstar.com, or by mail c/o Journal Star, 1 News Plaza, Peoria, IL 61643.

Contact:

Gary Direnfeld, MSW, Executive Director
I Promise Program
20 Suter Crescent,
Dundas, Ontario, Canada
L9H 6R5

(905) 628-4847
gary123@sympatico.ca
www.ipromiseprogram.com