The National Safety Commission Alerts
Safety is No Accident. Visit the National Safety Commission - America's Safety Headquarters for driver safety information, auto recalls and teen safe driver tips.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Teens Tragically Ignore Passenger Limits
It has long been known that the more teenagers you put in a car, the
greater the chances of a serious collision. Research shows when a teen driver
has more than one passenger in the car, use of seat belts by the occupants is
reduced and there are more distractions to divert the teen driver’s attention
from the road. Male teen drivers especially, when accompanied by an audience,
have a tendency to want to show off behind the wheel. Add night time driving
and it becomes a recipe for disaster.
A case in point is a collision in which a North Carolina teen was
killed while riding as a passenger with a teen driver. At the time of the
crash, the 17 year old driver was carrying four passengers in his pickup truck.
North Carolina’s GDL law limits drivers under the age of 18 to no more than one
passenger unless the driver is accompanied by a supervising licensed driver
over the age of 21.
Investigators say high speed was most likely the major contributing
factor to this collision. The driver failed to negotiate a curve, swerved, hit
a ditch and then overturned flipping several times before coming to rest upside
down.
According to authorities, only one teen, a 16 year old back seat
passenger was wearing a seat belt. The driver and three other passengers were
ejected from the vehicle. The teen that died was pinned beneath the truck. The
other three who were ejected had to be transported to the hospital with serious
injuries. The 16 year old girl who was wearing her seat belt received only
minor injuries and was treated and released at the scene.
GDL laws have been proven effective in dramatically reducing the teen
death rate over the past several years but they only work when they are obeyed.
Parents need to know the GDL laws and prevent their teen drivers from carrying
more than the allowed number of passengers. Parents also need to know when
their teen will be a passenger that their teen will be the only passenger or
else prevent them from going.
Labels: gdl laws, nighttime driving, seat beat, teen drivers, vehicle collision
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The STANDUP Act
It lists down certain requirements for states to follow, such as:
- Making the Graduated Driver Licensing program a 3-stage licensing process, with full licensure granted at age 18
- Strict enforcement of curfew for nighttime driving for drivers in the first two stages
- Passenger restriction to only 1 (under the age of 21) that is not immediate family, unless under supervision by an adult driver
- Zero usage of electronic communication devices, be it hand-held or hands-free
- Minimum age for learner’s permit license (stage 1) should be 16, while the minimum age for full license should be 18
Of course this includes that the state has required drivers at least 30 hours of supervised driving and that licensure delays are to be allowed if the new driver commits an offense.
Further studies have proven that stronger GDL laws reduce the number of teen driver-related crashes in the last few years. This is also an indicator of how are times are changing: an emphasis on GDL laws is clearly required in some states more than others.
The act also has separate sections for what happens when states comply with the proposal: an incentive grant will be received by that state after 3 fiscal years of enforcement, while a withholding of state funds for federal highway construction could be imposed for states that don’t follow suit.
As of this writing, the proposed STANDUP Act is still up to the House, Congress and Senators. Concerned citizens who are for this (which a majority of people are) could send a message to their local officials showing their support for it passing. Imagine a future with this in place, where teen crashes are virtually unheard of, and parents can sleep well at night.
Labels: florida gdl laws, GDL, Graduated Driver Licensing, STANDUP Act, teen drivers
Monday, May 24, 2010
National Program for Graduated Driver Licensing
According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. Statistics show that teen drivers aged 16-19 are four times more likely to get into a car accident. These statistics are the basis of a new push by lawmakers to establish national graduated drivers license (GDL) program.
Graduated Drivers license laws are nothing new. In the 1990’s states began to enact GDL laws. The goal of a GDL program is to let a young driver safely gain driving experience before being granted full driving privileges.
One of the reasons for a national GDL program is that fact that GDL laws differ from state to state.
A national GDL law has three main points.
Presently there are great differences in GDL laws from state to state. In comparing the states of Georgia and Florida gdl laws there are many similarities on minimum learners permit age, holding period and supervised training. However, while Georgia’s GDL Laws include passenger restrictions until the new driver turns 18 years old, Florida has not implemented those requirements.
For Florida a teen can get their learner’s permit at age 15 as opposed to New Jersey where the learners permit age is 16 years old. Another great difference between Florida and New Jersey is the amount of supervised driving practice.
Even though there is a proposal to introduce a national GDL law for minimum age requirements, length of time between each phase or passenger restrictions, one of the most important aspects to a GDL program is the supervised driving experience or driver training to gain experience. Many states are proposing additional driver education through a basic driver improvement or defensive driving course as many states no longer have the budget for driver education resources.
When considering Graduated Driver Licensing programs there is much more than the 3 points to consider for new drivers. With the laws so different for each state, most will agree the goal of a national program is driver safety and education first.
Learn more about your states GDL Laws at the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Graduated Drivers license laws are nothing new. In the 1990’s states began to enact GDL laws. The goal of a GDL program is to let a young driver safely gain driving experience before being granted full driving privileges.
One of the reasons for a national GDL program is that fact that GDL laws differ from state to state.
A national GDL law has three main points.
- Adopting a three-stage process to acquire an unrestricted drivers license.
- Prohibiting unsupervised nighttime driving during the first two stages before an unrestricted drivers license.
- Prohibit non-emergency use of cell phones and other electronic devices during the first two license phases.
Presently there are great differences in GDL laws from state to state. In comparing the states of Georgia and Florida gdl laws there are many similarities on minimum learners permit age, holding period and supervised training. However, while Georgia’s GDL Laws include passenger restrictions until the new driver turns 18 years old, Florida has not implemented those requirements.
For Florida a teen can get their learner’s permit at age 15 as opposed to New Jersey where the learners permit age is 16 years old. Another great difference between Florida and New Jersey is the amount of supervised driving practice.
- In Florida a learning driver is required to have 50 hours of supervised driving with ten of those hours to be at night.
- In New Jersey there is no minimum amount of practice time required.
Even though there is a proposal to introduce a national GDL law for minimum age requirements, length of time between each phase or passenger restrictions, one of the most important aspects to a GDL program is the supervised driving experience or driver training to gain experience. Many states are proposing additional driver education through a basic driver improvement or defensive driving course as many states no longer have the budget for driver education resources.
When considering Graduated Driver Licensing programs there is much more than the 3 points to consider for new drivers. With the laws so different for each state, most will agree the goal of a national program is driver safety and education first.
Learn more about your states GDL Laws at the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Labels: driver education, driver training, florida gdl laws, GDL, gdl law, learners permit, teen drivers
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Experts Say Driver Education Should Be Part of Routine Teen Physicals
Should Doctors Promote Safe Driving?
Experts at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center believe that as a part of every teenager’s physical exam, physicians should be asking, "Are you driving yet?"
Since auto accidents claim the lives of more 15-to-20-year-olds than any disease, teenage driving should be considered a risky behavior, and given as much attention as unprotected sex or underage drinking.
"Pediatricians talk to their teen patients about eating disorders, alcohol, marijuana use," said pediatrician Letitia Dzirasa, "but the one conversation that is not happening often enough is about the No. 1 killer of teenagers: car accidents."
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, pediatricians are advised to:
Dzirasa also calls on pediatricians to educate themselves about their state's driving laws and discuss them with both teens and parents. The graduated driver's licensing law in Maryland eases novice drivers into driving in three phases: learner's permit, provisional license, and driver's license. According to research, graduated licensing reduces both the number of accidents and severity of injuries. For example, one study revealed that graduated licensing reduced crashes that require hospitalizations among 16-year-olds by 35 percent. Other studies have shown that a year after the adoption of a graduated licensing law, the crash rate among 16-year-olds dropped by 26 percent to 41 percent.
High-risk teen driving behaviors include inexperience, no seat belt use, alcohol and other drug use, developmental conditions such as ADHD that increase crash risk, cell phones and audio equipment that distract drivers, nighttime driving, and the "it can't happen to me" syndrome that's typical of teenagers and youth.
Experts at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center believe that as a part of every teenager’s physical exam, physicians should be asking, "Are you driving yet?"
Since auto accidents claim the lives of more 15-to-20-year-olds than any disease, teenage driving should be considered a risky behavior, and given as much attention as unprotected sex or underage drinking.
"Pediatricians talk to their teen patients about eating disorders, alcohol, marijuana use," said pediatrician Letitia Dzirasa, "but the one conversation that is not happening often enough is about the No. 1 killer of teenagers: car accidents."
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, pediatricians are advised to:
- Inquire of 15-year-olds if they are applying for a driver's permit in the near future.
- Talk about the risks of driving and ask specific questions about the teen's driving behavior.
- Ask probing questions about medicine and alcohol use, nighttime driving, seat belt use, and cell phone practices while driving.
- Persuade parents to enact driving restrictions on their nascent drivers, such as making sure their teen is accompanied by an adult when behind the wheel.
- Ask parents to think about establishing a written contract (also know as a Parent Teen Driving Contract) with their teen driver, establishing the rules and consequences for breaking them.
Dzirasa also calls on pediatricians to educate themselves about their state's driving laws and discuss them with both teens and parents. The graduated driver's licensing law in Maryland eases novice drivers into driving in three phases: learner's permit, provisional license, and driver's license. According to research, graduated licensing reduces both the number of accidents and severity of injuries. For example, one study revealed that graduated licensing reduced crashes that require hospitalizations among 16-year-olds by 35 percent. Other studies have shown that a year after the adoption of a graduated licensing law, the crash rate among 16-year-olds dropped by 26 percent to 41 percent.
High-risk teen driving behaviors include inexperience, no seat belt use, alcohol and other drug use, developmental conditions such as ADHD that increase crash risk, cell phones and audio equipment that distract drivers, nighttime driving, and the "it can't happen to me" syndrome that's typical of teenagers and youth.
Labels: driver education, teen drivers, teen physicals
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