Teen driving problems are fixable

WESTFALL — Summer vacation time is upon us, and, consequently, so is one of the leading months for teen automobile accidents. Accordingly, Delaware Valley High School is doing what it can to raise awareness and hopefully in turn, institute prevention. After viewing the Times Herald Record’s “Not One More” presentation recently, Joseph Sain, a driving instructor at DV, deemed it good, but lacking in suggestions to prevent the teen collisions described. “Everyone knows the problem. Let’s get a solution” he said. Driver-controlled errors, such as speed, alcohol and substance abuse, and passenger distractions, all play a large role in how safely a teen drives as well. The possibility of an accident doubles with a single passenger, and quadruples with two, said Sain. A leading contributor to injury in adolescent collisions is failure to use a seat belt. Last week, the DVHS Student Council conducted a personal seat belt survey after school was dismissed, rewarding those belted up with candy. Out of 181 drivers, only 27 weren’t wearing a seat belt. As for passengers, 76 of 113 were buckled up. “Those numbers are not jaded and are better than I expected,” said senior Will Foster, a member of the student council. Sain may have played a noteworthy part of such statistics. He spends his time teaching a behind-the-wheel driving course, in which students receive six hours of driver training. He stresses five state-mandated components while teaching students: visual perception, decision making, basic driving skills, knowledge of the law, and perhaps above all, correct following distance. He says that how close a driver is to another car, “tail-gating,” is a key contributing factor in collisions. “If I could wave a magic wand and make all teen drivers use the correct following distance, we would have 50% less accidents,” Sain said. Young driver statistics •In 2005, almost 7,500 of 15- to 20-yearnold drivers were involved in fatal crashes. •The fatality rate for drivers ages 16 to 19 years, based on miles driven, is four times that of drivers ages 25 to 69. •Approximately two-thirds of teen (13 to 19 year-old) passenger deaths occur when other teenagers are driving. •Child passengers (under age 16 years) driven by teenage (16 to 19 year-old) drivers have three times the risk of injury in a crash than children driven by adults. Overall, 9 percent of child fatalities occur with a driver under age 19. •About 6 of every 10 teenage passenger deaths (59 percent) during 2003 occurred in crashes with a teen driver. •Two-thirds of teens killed in crashes are not wearing a seat belt.