| StreetSafe Article
From the:
For teen motorists, parents should be in driver's seat
October 29, 2007
Most parents wouldn't give their teenagers alcohol, illegal drugs or
deadly weapons.
But every day, without thinking twice, moms and dads give their teens
unfettered access to a much more likely killer - a car.
Car crashes kill more teens than the next four leading causes of death
combined. Nationwide in 2006, drivers ages 16 to 20 were involved in
6,984 fatal crashes, according to the latest statistics from the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
And putting inexperienced, inadequately trained young people on the
streets of New Hanover County, which consistently ranks at the top of
the state in accident and injury rates, is a "formula for failure," said
David Brewster, a former drivers' education coordinator for New Hanover
County Schools.
Brewster works with the Street Safe Teen Driving Program, a new
initiative designed to give teens and their parents an extra bit of
knowledge and training beyond driver education classes.
For parents, the program reinforces that they are still in charge and
that it's OK to say 'no' to their teen when it comes to driving. It also
offers suggestions on how parents can get involved with their kids'
driving, from teaching them alternate routes around dangerous
intersections to requiring a teen-parent driving agreement, which spells
out in detail what they expect from their teen when it comes to driving.
For teens, Street Safe's hands-on exercise allow them to experience
losing control of a car and shows them how long it takes to stop a car.
It also demonstrates the dangers of drunken driving and driving
distractions, such as cell phone use, and much more.
Doug Darrell, a former New York cop, started the Street Safe program
earlier this year. He offers the following suggestions to parents:
Don't allow your teen to transport any passengers for the first three
months of driving. After that, reconsider.
Require purposeful" driving. Driving around on a Friday night is not
purposeful driving. Driving to school or a movie is.
To reinforce responsibility and cooperation, have your teen share the
family car for a year.
Emphasize that driving is privilege, not a right, and make it dependent
on good behavior and grades.
Establish a teen-parent contract to eliminate confusion on expectations.
Take the keys if your teen is not driving or acting appropriately.
Learn much more at the next session of the Street Safe Teen Driving
Program at 9 a.m. Saturday in the cafeteria and rear parking lot at
Ashley High School, 555 Veterans Drive, off Carolina Beach Road. The
cost of the four-hour course is $25. A driver's license or learner's
permit is required for teens, and participation of parents is
encouraged. For more information or to enroll in Saturday's program, go
to www.StreetSafeus.com.
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