Teen Driving Safety

Driving while young, a worrisome thought for most parents as their children attempt this right of passage. All of us have gone through this and most have successfully navigated the learning to drive process. There are those that some would argue still need to 'learn how to drive'.

But any humor aside, there is concern over the amount of training given to young drivers today. As Rose Rougeau of the American Automobile Association says, "It's clear from this analysis that young drivers' lack of experience on the road is a major traffic safety issue." Some of the sobering statistics about teen driving are;

• The number one cause of death for 15-20 year olds is car collisions.
• This age group makes up 7% of licensed drivers, 14% of fatalities, and 20% of all reported collisions.
• In 2004, 7,386 people were killed in crashes involving young drivers ages 16-20 (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, 2005)
• 3,523 young drivers ages 16-20 were killed in 2004. (NHTSA, 2005)
• 53% of teen driver deaths occur on weekends.
• Nearly two-thirds of teen passenger vehicle occupants killed were unrestrained. (NHTSA, 2003)
• Forty-one percent (41%) of teenage motor vehicle deaths in 2003 occurred between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (IIHS, 2004)
• Staying up late puts teen drivers at high risk for automobile collisions due to drowsiness.
• Teens are more likely than any other age group to be involved in a single vehicle crash.

Very tough statistics to think about but what do we do? Mandatory drivers education courses in the public schools. Driver and traffic safety education began as a concept in 1928 as part of a doctoral thesis by Albert W. Whitney whom argued that since so many high school students were learning to drive cars, schools had a responsibility to include driver education and safety instruction in the curriculum.

I am a proponent of schools providing this training to better prepare our teens to be better and safer drivers. An organization called Drivers Edge provides training around the country as a free service. They are able to do so due to corporate sponsorships, but your donations and support can help keep it this and help them to expand.

Founder of the organization, ex-race car driver Jeff Payne provides the following tips:

1. For your teen's first car, you shouldn't compromise safety to save money. And don't encourage buying a flashy hot rod, which invites high-speed driving.
2. Even the best kids can make poor decisions, and many are afraid to call their parents when they've had too much to drink. Stress this: "You can call us anytime. We won't ask questions."
3. When she goes out, know her destination, and tell her she needs to call you if she heads to a new location.
4. For six months after getting a license, make sure your teen drives alone. Having friends in the car, especially if they're rowdy, is a dangerous distraction.

Do what you can to keep your teen safe, give them the necessary tools to drive safely and remind them of what it takes to remain safe.

How To Avoid Road Rage

“Anger is a momentary madness, so control your passion or it will control you.” Horace (Ancient Roman Poet. 65 BC-8 BC)

My recent article on road rage spurred several responses about how one can control themselves. So over the weekend I read a few articles and thought I would share them with each of you. Anger that develops from within your vehicle is oddly enough something we would normally never allow to surface in other social situations.

And yes, driving is a social situation. It is a gathering of people in vehicles using the same roadways, attempting to reach a particular destination. There are laws and rules to driving which vary slightly from one place to another. There are also unwritten laws of courtesy and willingness to 'let it go'.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety studied more than 10,000 incidents of violent aggressive driving committed between 1990 and 1996, it found that at least 218 people were killed and another 12,610 injured when drivers got angry. Many drivers involved in these incidents are men between the ages of 18 and 26, anyone can become aggressive if they let their anger take precedence over safe driving.

The AAA Foundation study found that men, women, and people of all ages can drive aggressively if they are in the wrong mood or circumstances. when drivers explained why they became violent the reasons are often incredibly trivial: “She would not let me pass,”“They kept tailgating me,” or, as this one driver accused of murder explained, “He practically ran me off the road — what was I supposed to do?”

(Source: ROAD RAGE - HOW TO AVOID AGGRESSIVE DRIVING)

So what can you do to avoid allowing yourself to start or become involved in an incident?

1. Don't offend: you know what they are, the same things that irritate you. Cutting people off, driving slow in the left lane, tailgating or making gestures. If it irritates you, chances are pretty good you doing the same things irritates others.

2. Don't engage: the old saying that it "takes two to tango." Another driver may start it, but if you respond or retaliate, then your as much at fault. Just refuse to be drawn into it, be the bigger person. The other person may be fuming, but you remaining calm and steer clear of the situation. As the article says, would you want your pilot on the plane flying and acting this way?

3. Adjust your attitude: make the drive more pleasant, it isn't a contest. The first one there is not what its about. And maybe there is some reason that person nearly drove you off the road...a bee entered the window and startled them?! Put yourself in their shoes and even if no, it isn't worth doing something you will likely regret later.

If you think you need help, find it before you go too far and commit a much greater offense. Avoid being an aggressive driver and learn how to avoid becoming a victim. There is a lot more to life then stressing behind the wheel of a car. Be safe.

Road Rage - Why?

A recent news item in the Atlanta area told of a tragic death. A death that could have happened in any populated area, any city or country. Another death that happens in our society whether from illness, murder, drugs among all of the deaths that happen.

This type of death though tends to mystify me, road rage. A strange event that seems to develop from our inability to control our emotions or attitude while driving. Matthew Joint says, "in its broadest sense it can refer to any display of aggression by a driver. However, the term is often used to refer to the more extreme acts of aggression, such as a physical assault, that occur as a direct result of a disagreement between drivers."

A young father driving with his wife and young child is involved in a road rage incident with another man - he ends up dead of stab wounds. I'm not passing judgement on either person for that is the job of the court system. I do know from all accounts that 'road rage' involves two people. In most cases, each person has a part they played in a situation escalating.

Each of us have been involved most likely in some form of driving 'lapse of mental control'. It is some sense of 'territorial' behavior when we get within a car that causes us to loose a certain amount of reason. We are a better driver then everyone else, or we take offense at another's driving habits. Most incidents never grow beyond your own thoughts. Many times the other driver is unaware of your irritation.

Once the other driver is made aware though, by either a look or gesture from you. It may even be you becoming aggressive by deciding to 'retaliate' in some form with your own driving skill. It is this point which you have crossed and now the chances of this escalating into road rage have increased.

This increase can result in possible car damage, yelling at each other or possibly physical altercations. The ultimate ending being someone dead from the senseless actions. Stop and think for a minute, does it really make sense to let it get this far? If someone cut you off in traffic, tailgated too much...whatever the case may be, is it worth the potential pain. A young wife and daughter living in pain, another person now changing their own life forever.

To read more about this and what you can do to change your habits and avoid these types of incidents, see the following article Aggressive Driving: Three Studies. Stay alive, stay stress free and change your way of driving...there's a lot more to life.