Teen Driver Safety

Some folks have noticed that I've blacked out my Facebook picture this week. I’m taking part in the Save11 effort to raise awareness of teen driving deaths. This campaign is in hopes of making our roads safer for younger drivers.

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teenagers in the United States, with an average of 11 teens dying in car crashes each day according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Teenagers drive far less than most people, but their numbers of crashes are disproportionately high. Licensing laws for young drivers in Georgia rank high compared to other states when measuring things like driver’s education and restrictions on passengers and nighttime driving, but there’s much more that can be done. The NHTSA issued a report referring to a study done in Dekalb county in the 1970’s that challenged the effectiveness of traditional driver education courses. It concluded that delaying the complete licensing process produces far safer drivers than basic driver education courses.

That’s where the Save11 campaign will help. This supports the STANDUP Act (Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection) which is proposed legislation that would establish graduated driver licensing (GDL) rules. Beginning in the mid 1990s, more and more states have adopted graduated licensing systems, which phase in full driving privileges. This prepares teenagers to drive over time as they gain experience and training. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in states with strong GDL laws, studies have shown these laws reduce teen crash fatalities by up to 40 percent. States would need to meet the following requirements under the STANDUP Act:

1) Three stages of licensing – learner’s permit, intermediate stage, and full licensure

2) Age 16 should be the earliest age for entry into the learner’s permit process

3) Nighttime driving while unsupervised should be restricted during the learner’s permit and intermediate stages, until full licensure at age 18 (most car crashes occur between 12 and 3 a.m.)

4) Driving while using communication devices (cell phone calls, texting) should be prohibited at least until full licensure at age 18

5) Unrestricted, full licensure should occur no earlier than age 18

6) Passengers should be restricted – no more than one non-familial passenger under age 21 unless a licensed driver over age 21 is in the vehicle – until full licensure at age 18

As parents we can help too. Children say their parents have the strongest influence on their driving behavior.  Among parents who enforce graduated driver licensing laws, fewer of their kids have gotten tickets and fewer have come close to being in a collision. It’s also a good time to talk to your teens about texting and driving. Talk to them about committing to stop texting while driving by signing a Family Texting Pledge. It’s scary to realize that when you text and drive it takes your eyes off the road on average of five seconds at a time. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of a football field completely blind! It compares to driving after having 4 beers, and makes us 23 times more likely to crash.

You can find visit my Facebook page to participate and learn more. From there you’ll find a link to email Congress and encourage their support. Here’s to a safe and happy summer of driving!