Teens and Cell Phones

"People don't want to be inaccessible for even 15 minutes driving up the street," said Harrison, 19, a sophomore at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. "They're so used to being accessible all the time.

"Targeting inexperienced motorists, several states have passed laws during the past five years restricting cell phone use by teenage drivers.

But a recently released insurance industry study looked at whether teens are ignoring such restrictions contends enforcement and parental influence are just as important as new laws. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied specific state laws which fine motorists under age 18 who are caught using a cell phone.

Researchers who watched as high school students left school found that teenage drivers used their cell phones at about the same rate both before and after the laws took effect.

"Cell phone bans for teen drivers are difficult to enforce," said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research and an author of the study. "Drivers with phones to their ears aren't hard to spot, but it's nearly impossible for police officers to see hands free devices or correctly guess how old drivers are."

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, according to the government's auto safety agency, and teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers.

The institute says 17 states and the District of Columbia have cell phone restrictions in licensing requirements for teen drivers. The National Transportation Safety Board in 2003 recommended that states limit or bar young drivers from using cell phones, leading many states to act.

Harrison, who serves with Students Against Destructive Decisions, an advocacy group focused on highway safety issues, said few of her friends know about laws banning cell phone use by novice drivers.

Bill Bronrott, a Maryland state delegate who sponsored a successful bill in 2005 prohibiting rookie drivers under 18 from using cell phones, except to make 911 emergency calls, said a "combination of education and enforcement" was critical. So, too, parental involvement.Added Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association: "What these kinds of laws do is send the message to the parent more than anything else."

In the North Carolina study, researchers found that 11 percent of teenage drivers observed departing 25 high schools during the two months before the ban took effect were using cell phones. About five months after the ban took effect, during the spring of 2007, nearly 12 percent were observed using phones.

In the North Carolina phone survey, 95 percent of parents and 74 percent of teenagers supported the restriction. But 71 percent of teens and 60 percent of parents felt that enforcement was rare or nonexistent.In North Carolina, 37 citations were issued in 2007 by the state highway patrol to teens using a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Twenty-eight citations have been issued in 2008.

Selena Childs, executive director of the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force, said in an e-mail that with many child safety laws in the state, "knowing that it's against the law is enough for many people to choose to comply with a law."

Childs said the state's driver's license system for young drivers has been effective "not so much because of law enforcement/citations, but because parents and teens self-enforce the law, resulting in reduced crashes."

Matt Sundeen, a transportation analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said many state laws on cell phones are new, making it difficult to assess their impact. He said more states are considering similar restrictions.

The institute conducted two separate telephone surveys: the first, before the cell phone restriction took effect, was in November 2006 and involved 400 pairs of parents and teenagers; the second, after the law had taken effect, was in April 2007 and involved a different sample of 401 pairs of parents and teenagers. Each survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Please share your thoughts here to help keep our young drivers safe and alive!

Set A Good Example!

When most teenagers reach about 14 years of age, they begin to think about driving. Obviously some children dream about this more than others but what is important to you as a parent, is how they might imagine themselves as a driver. Where do they get their persona as a driver? Where do they learn habits? The answer is, they learn a lot from watching you drive. They will pick up your good and your bad habits and that is why as a parent, you must really monitor your own driving while your young teens are in the car. You should begin to model good driving behavior and even talk about that behavior with your children. Here is a short list of the Don’ts: While your young teens are in the car, don’t: · Eat and drive. Make sure that they see you giving your full attention to your driving. · Talk on your phone while driving. I know this one is hard to break but when your child tries this while driving it is the equivalent of having them drink a few stiff ones and then try driving. It is also illegal in NC for a teen driver to use the phone while driving. · Run the yellow light. Teach your teens not to gamble with yellow lights. Their judgment is not as well developed as yours and this behavior can end in tragedy. · Follow too closely. This is something you shouldn’t do at any time but when your child is in the car they will get a sense for what is the correct following distance. Show them by leaving enough space between you and the car in front of you. · Drive aggressively. Again, they will model what you do. Teach them to be a courteous and respectful driver. It might make you late a few times but what is that to saving their life. · Speed. Your children should respect the speed limit. This will save them money in tickets and attorney’s fees, but it will probably also save their life. 33% of teen driver fatalities are due to excessive speed. Ok, enough with the negatives. Here are a few things you should do when your teens ride with you: · Always use your seatbelt. And always insist that all passengers wear theirs as well. · Use turn signals and practice “accurate” driving. Talk to your teens about this. · Keep your car maintained and the windshield clean. Also check for tire wear and tire pressure as well. · Come to a complete stop at all stop signs· Slow down in bad weather. Tell your teens that you are driving a bit slower and leaving more distance from the car in front today because the bad weather makes the driving that much more dangerous. These are just a few tips that you can use. I’m sure you can think of even more to help your child become a safer driver so that you can get through this time in your life without a tragedy.

Before Your Teen Takes Out The Car, Teach Then To Do A Safety Check.

Before your teen begins driving, you should demonstrate fro them how to perform a quick safety check of the vehicle. Now is a good time to have a brief discussion about vehicle maintenance. Explain basic maintenance items such as when oil changes are due and proper tire inflation. Verify that all lights and turn signals are functioning properly and free of obstruction. Safety Tip: Minimum Gas Levels. For emergency purposes, teach your teen to keep at least ¼ tank of gas in the car at all times. You do not want them running out of gas in an unsafe area. Additionally, you will avoid the frustration of having to unexpectedly stop for gas when your teen has been driving your car. Safety Tip: Hazard lights. Make sure your teen knows how to locate and turn on the hazard lights in each of your cars!Familiarize your teen with the location and operation of the vehicle controls. It is important that your teen is comfortable in the driver’s seat. Today’s newer cars are capable of adjusting the seat, mirrors, steering wheel, brake pedal and accelerator. Review proper operation of the heater, air conditioning, cruise control and wiper blades. Safety Tip: Dashboard Gauges! Explain the dashboard gauges and their purpose. Taking the time to explain the gauges will help maintain the vehicle in proper working condition. Furthermore, it may save you a large repair bill. After all, the time for your teen to understand the temperature gauge is not after the car has overheated! Another good habit to form is maintaining a mileage log. The log should detail the date, miles on the vehicle, the number of gallons of gas added and the miles per gallon obtained on the prior tank of gas. With many cars yo you can do this automatically by teaching your child to reset the gas mileage counter after each fillup. When the gas mileage decreases it is an early warning signal that the engine needs maintenance. Safety Tip: Changing Tires. I strongly recommend that you have your teen change a tire before he/she obtains their license. With the prevalence of cell phones, many parents assume their teen can call them or AAA for assistance. Depending on the location and time of day, it may take 2-3 hours before assistance can arrive. Safety Tip: Tire jacks can KILL! Practice with them the proper use and ‘placement of the jack”. People die from this every year. Don’t forget to show them how to chock the tires. Safety Tip: It is very dangerous to change a tire on the highway. Call the state police to assure drivers move over and the safety of your teen. Safety Tip: Emergency Kits. Maintain an Emergency kit in the trunk complete with: flares, a flashlight and batteries. Practice lighting flares.Insurance Tip: Roadside Service is part of the Teensurance Program from Safeco. Help will be dispatched to help change tires or even deliver gas! For more information on the Teensurance Program, visit my web site at www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/Clinard. I Hope this helps your family and brings everyone home safely!

"Trunking" - The Latest Danger to Teens!

Just when you thought you've heard it all... As I was doing my research for this month's issue of my Driver’s Seat e-newsletter, I came across an article about the latest killer of teens. We all know that car accidents are the number one killer of teens in the US. Now there is a trend going across the country that is adding to the danger of a teen behind the wheel and it's referred to as "Trunking". As a teen, I remember hearing about kids in school that would climb into a trunk to sneak into a drive-in movie. Of course, I would never partake in such an act. But today, now that the drive-in movie is obsolete, there's another reason why kids are doing this. Almost every state in the country now has laws limiting the number of passengers during the first few years of a teen driver's experience. These laws were passed to reduce the distractions in the car that have been proven to cause so many accidents. In order to circumvent these laws, kids are now packing themselves in the trunk of the car to be able to go with their friends. The worst part is that they will stay in the trunk while being driven all over town and even beyond. The dangers are obvious to us and include suffocation, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat exposure, freezing, being crushed or thrown out of the car as a result of an accident. You can just imagine how dangerous this could be for your child. So what do you do? First explain the dangers and then define the consequences/punishment of this type of action. If your child is guilty, take away driving privileges and inform all the involved kids' parents of the act. You'll also want to pass this article on to other parents, just to let them know what kids are up to these days, so they can proactively counsel against it. To sign up for a free subscription to my e-newletter, Driver’s Seat, visit my website at www.teendriverinsurance.com/trianglenc and register for VIP Access. You’ll also be able to learn more about you can best protect your family.

Everything You Own is In Your Teen's Hands

The moment your teen got behind the wheel for the first time, the chances of you being involved in a lawsuit increased significantly.

Since teens are 5 times more likely to cause accidents and the average cost of these accidents are 3 times higher than experienced drivers, there is a good chance your teen is going to cause a costly accident... one that can take away much of what you own. So, are you protected in the event something happens? As a family and teen driver protection specialist, I have helped hundreds of parents protect themselves from lawsuits. Parents of teen drivers have very special insurance needs and if we haven't addressed those needs yet, you may be at serious risk. Please call my office today (256-765-2200) and let's conduct a 21 Point Protection Review. This will reveal any gaps or lack of coverage that could leave you financially devastated.

Buckle Up! But Why?

A seatbelt ticket will cost you $101 in the state of Washington. For such a high cost of a ticket, it would be safe to assume the issue has some importance!

Well, absolutely! The purpose of a seatbelt is to hold the passenger in place, holding them close to the vehicle to make them almost "one" to prevent being thrown forward in the event of a collision. The other option is not wearing a seatbelt. If the person is not wearing their seatbelt, the law of inertia proves that they will be thrown forward-- possible into the windshield or dashboard, (ouch.)

The flexible materials that make up seatbelts are meant to provide give-- more than the dashboard or windshield. And even though the seatbelt allows some give to conform to your body comfortably, the machinery involved tightens the belt to hold the passenger in place when the car decelerates quickly.

Did you also know, that having your seatbelt improperly installed is an even bigger ticket?? Vehicles require both shoulder and lap belts!

Please instill the importance of safety belts with your teens. It could save a life!

http://savon-teendriver.blogspot.com/

Car Buyers Beware!

Kelley Blue Book just announced its annual top 10 list for auto brands in terms of resale value. Here they are:

1. Honda

2. Toyota

3. Volkswagon

4. Subaru

5. Lexus (a division of Toyota)

6. BMW

7. Infiniti (a divsion of Nissan)

8. Acura (a division of Honda)

9. Audi (a division of Volkswagon)

10. Nissan

Parents and teen drivers alike would be wise to understand the practical implications of this report before buying a car. You see, when have an accident, your insurance company will only pay you the value of the car at the time of the accident. The insurance adjuster will depreciate a car that doesn't hold its value to a much greater extent than one that does. So if you fork out $25,000 for a new GM and have an accident a year later, how much will you get? Couldn’t tell you for sure but probably a fair amount less than you would if you’d have bought a car in the top ten.