Teen drivers: Practice, practice, practice
Driver's ed teacher says the more supervised instruction, the better
By Sarah Schulz
Driver's education class and parental instructions helped 17-year-old Sarah Tuma learn how to drive safely.
When she was 15, Tuma failed the written test for her learner's permit the first time she took it. At 16, the test was waived because she had passed a drivers' education class.
Tuma said she didn't have any problems getting her parents to let her practice driving. Learning to drive in reverse was the most difficult task for her. She said it was hard to remember to turn the wheel in the opposite direction.
Vince Zavala, a
"I tell the kids to beg their parents to let them drive," he said.
He also encourages parents to be patient with their supervision.
"Patience is probably the most important thing you can have," he said.
Zavala teaches the driver's education courses in the summer. The classes are offered through the school as electives and the students are required to pay a fee. They drive a minimum of five hours and take 20 hours of classes, he said.
The students are taught how to drive in residential areas, on gravel roads, on highways and the interstate. Zavala said they also practice backing up, changing lanes and parking as well as turning, especially left turns onto Highway 281 which can be dangerous.
One of the biggest problems facing teen-age drivers is their impatience, he said. They get in too much of a hurry, such as turning left on yellow lights instead of waiting for the next green arrow, he said.
According to AAA Nebraska, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, totaling nearly one-third of all deaths in the age group. While teen drivers represent only 7 percent of the driving population, they are involved in 15 percent of fatal vehicle crashes and 18 percent of total crashes.
Lack of experience and proper training are central issues to the cause of accidents among novice drivers. Although most teens are responsible drivers, they are over involved in crashes due to poor judgment, inexperience, inadequate driving skills, risky behavior, and a sense of invulnerability, according to AAA Nebraska.
Three out of four crashes involving teens occur within city limits, according to the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety. The majority of those accidents occur in May, August and September.
Novices who complete driver's education have a 20 percent reduction in crashes in the first six to eight months after receiving their first license, according to AAA Nebraska.
Driver's education classes are one way to help teen drivers gain experience but AAA Nebraska offers an alternative.
The Licensed to Learn program curriculum includes interactive classroom instruction, 10 hours of in-car training, parental involvement, 50 hours of supervised practice, and an evaluation.
The program encourages parents to get involved with teaching their children to drive and gives students more time behind the wheel, according to AAA Nebraska.
An option for parents who have licensed teenage drivers is the I Promise
Program.
Direnfeld, of
The program has parents and teens discuss, negotiate and complete a mutual safe-driving contract. To seal the contract, a decal with a toll-free number is placed in the rear-window of the car the teen will be driving. This enables people to monitor and report on driver behavior. Additional information about the program is available at www.ipromiseprogram.com .
"Teens think they are 10-feet tall and bulletproof," Direnfeld said. "This program needs to reach parents. Kids see their parents as role models and they learn their parents bad habits too. It all starts with parents."
Gary
Direnfeld, Executive Director
I Promise Program
20
(905) 628-4847
gary123@sympatico.ca
www.ipromiseprogram.com