http://www.portland.com/news/local/020123drivers.shtml
Crash experts admonish
teen drivers: Slow down
The deadly combination of drinking and driving does not pose the biggest risk to the lives of teen-age drivers and their passengers: That dubious distinction belongs to driving too fast, crash prevention experts say.
National statistics show that teen-age drivers in fatal accidents are 10
times more likely to have previous stops for speeding as they are to have been
arrested on charges of drunken driving. Those numbers are borne out in
“The typical crash in
That scenario may turn out to fit two recent fatal crashes in
On Jan. 13, another crash claimed the lives of three high school students.
Accident reconstruction models by state police indicated that the driver,
Michael O'Brien, 19, was going more than 100 miles an hour as he approached Tukey's Bridge in
O'Brien, who police said had a blood-alcohol level of .12, has been charged with three counts of manslaughter and three counts of aggravated operating under the influence.
O'Brien did not have any previous drunken-driving arrests, but he did exhibit what experts say is a key warning sign. Twice he was cited for speed violations, once for speeding and another time for driving too fast for road conditions.
"Drinking and driving is not the greatest cause of fatal car
crashes, it's speeding," said
Of the 8,155 fatal crashes in 2000 that involved drivers between the ages of 15 and 20, only 2 percent had previous drunken-driving convictions. But nearly a quarter had previous speeding convictions.
Direnfeld said parents can play a key role in teaching their children not
to speed by slowing down themselves. Research indicates that parents, and not
peer pressure, have the biggest influence on a young driver's choices. That
influence is wielded not by what the parents say, Direnfeld said, but what they
do.
"If the parents have a good driving record,
chances are the teens will have a good driving record as well," he
said. "And anything we do, the teens take as permission to do
themselves."
In the last four years
New drivers now receive a provisional license for the first two years that can be suspended for infractions. Before a teen-ager can even apply for a license road test, he or she must present a log that shows the young driver has spent 35 hours behind the wheel with an experienced driver observing. For 90 days, new drivers cannot carry most passengers, to cut down on the chances of an inexperienced operator showing off for his friends by driving too fast.
The state also encourages families to sign a contract between a new driver and his parents; this agreement spells out the rules for use of the vehicle, and includes a pledge never to drive drunk.
Gwadosky said there are roles for the Legislature, police, schools and families to reduce crashes, but the most important work has to be done by teen-age drivers and their passengers.
"It's got to be OK to say, 'You've got to slow down. What are you thinking of?' " Gwadosky said. "Young people have to accept that responsibility. They've got to look out for each other."
Staff Writer Gregory Kesich can be contacted at 791-6336
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