Well-Informed Parents of Teen Drivers Are Your Best Customers July - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association 59 th Annual Conference Raleigh, NC Well-Informed Parents of Teen Drivers Are Your Best Customers July 15, 2015 Tim Hollister Hartford, Connecticut Blog: www.fromreidsdad.org
Tim Hollister
Hartford, Connecticut Blog: www.fromreidsdad.org Website: www.nsfteendriving.com E-mail: tim@fromreidsdad.org
1
American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association 59th Annual Conference – Raleigh, NC July 15, 2015
2
I-8 I-84 East, Southingt 4 East, Southington / n / Plain Plainville, Connecticut ille, Connecticut
3
www.fromreidsdad.org
4
www.fromreidsdad.org
5
Wh Why T y Teen Driving Is Ev een Driving Is Ever eryone’s Pr ne’s Problem
3,000,000 new teen drivers each year Teen driver crash rates are 4x that of safest drivers Teen driver crashes kill and injure more passengers,
“Nowhere else do we mingle so freely with others as
when driving.” - Tom
Vanderbilt
6
Connecticut Go Connecticut Governor’s T rnor’s Teen Saf een Safe Driving Driving Task F sk Force 200 e 2007-08 7-08
2006: 49 teen-driver related fatalities in
Connecticut
August 2007: 4 teens in Bristol, CT October 2007: 3 teens in Wolcott, CT December 2007: Task Force appointed Connecticut’s teen driving laws among weakest in
the United States
7
“While the intention is to reduce the incidence
teens, the fact is that teens need to rely on each other for transportation, and these laws would cause a huge inconvenience.”
“The fact is that our children have to grow up,
and to do that they have to make mistakes, and some of those mistakes will be fatal.”
8
Connecticut ‘s T Connecticut ‘s Teen Driving La een Driving Law, Adopt
d August 2008 gust 2008
40 hrs, including 8 hr safety class, 2 hrs with
parent/guardian
No electronic devices (not even hands-free) All occupants wear seat belts First 6 months: only passenger is a supervising adult.
Next 6 months, immediate family only.
Curfew 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. with exceptions for school,
employment, medical, religious.
Mandatory license suspensions On-the-spot 48 hr revocation/impoundment
9
There Is No Such Thing As A Saf There Is No Such Thing As A Safe T e Teen Driv een Driver er
10
#1:
Human brain not fully developed until age 22-25: judgment and restraint develop last. #2 New drivers look at perimeter of car, not road ahead. #3: Train new drivers on local streets in compact cars, allow them to drive SUVs/light trucks/HPVs on crowded Interstates: learning to drive and navigate at same time
www.fromreidsdad.org
Becoming a relatively safe driver takes YEARS; no shortcuts.
Treat Driving Lik eat Driving Like Flying: Flying: Act Lik t Like An Air T An Air Traf affic Contr fic Controller ller
11
www.fromreidsdad.org
Destination? Route? Timetable? Equipment check? Communications
plan?
Passengers? Rested and alert? Contingency plan?
12
Pur Purposeful vs. recreational driving
13
Purposeful: driving with a destination, reason to
arrive safely and on time, route, and arrival time
Joyriding / "recreational" driving: distraction, peer
pressure, risk-taking, misconduct
www.fromreidsdad.org
The most misunderstood danger Every teen passenger of a teen driver increases risk Siblings: “Do you want to put your most precious cargo in
the hands of your least experienced driver?” – Dave Preusser
14
www.fromreidsdad.org
Passengers
15
www.fromreidsdad.org
Alcohol
One-third of 35,000 +/- traffic fatalities in U.S.(adults and
teens) are alcohol-related
Alcohol illegal for under age 21, but in 2011, ONE THIRD
Parents/adults who provide alcohol to teens can be held
criminally responsible
Zero tolerance, stated in a Teen-Parent Driving Agreement Parents: explain risks, talk often, monitor friends, make
alcohol unavailable, have a code word.
16
www.fromreidsdad.org
Most Dangerous Times
17
act, slow/stop/redirect vehicle
several seconds to regain “situational awareness”
electronic device to text, type, read, watch or take a photo or a video, or make a phone call.”
www.fromreidsdad.org
Texting/Cell Phones
18
www.fromreidsdad.org
Other Electronic Devices
Multi-tasking is a myth: we
SWITCH
Hands-free and voice-activated
devices also risky, cause “cognitive blindness.”
GPS: “Turn left here” doesn’t
mean safe to do so
Headphones/earbuds: Ears are
essential safety equipment
Parents as role models
19
50% of teen driver fatalities were unbuckled
protect yourself from injury or death
Agreement: every driver and passenger buckled
starts facing forward.”
www.fromreidsdad.org
Seat Belts
Parent Parent School T School Transpor ansportation tation Permission F rmission Forms rms
20
another student.
school-related functions.
21
Teen Driving Contract
22
Parent Prevention Priorities: PACTS
23