Monthly Archives: July 2014
Use Of Seat Belts By Teens Decreasing
July 9, 2014
The Governors Highway Administration and the Allstate Foundation have teamed up to create a report on the lack of seat belt use by teens. Over the past three years, the number of teens killed in car crashes who weren’t wearing seat belts has increased by up to six percent with more than half not wearing seat belts. The figures are even higher for passengers of teen drivers with more than 60 percent not using seat belts. To read what your state is doing and what you can do to to increase seat belt use by teens, read: Getting It To Click! Connecting Teens And Seat Belt Use
“Teen Driving Program” Improves Teen Driving Performance
July 8, 2014
A study released recently by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) showed that the experimental Teen Driving Program (TDP), a web based program that helps parents plan and track their teen’s progress while learning to drive, significantly improved driving performance for teens. The study tracked two groups of teens, one that used the TDP program and one that didn’t. According to the study results:
- “Young drivers that used TDP over a 24-week period were 65 percent less likely to fail a rigorous on-road driving assessment than those not given access to the intervention.
- Overall, six percent of teenagers that used TDP had their on-road driving assessment terminated due to unsafe driving performance as compared to 15 percent of those not given TDP.
- Families who used TDP also reported more driving practice in various environments, at night, and in bad weather.
- TDP increased parent engagement as practice supervisors, practice variety (at least 1-2 hours of practice in all six driving environments), and parent support of teens.”
The program isn’t available to the public yet but, according to a news release put out by CHOP, it will be available later this year. For a video demonstration of the program and to learn more, read: TeenDrivingPlan (TDP)
Photo compliments of: Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia
Ask The Driving School Instructor: Hands on Steering Wheel
July 7, 2014
Question: My dad told me to hold the steering wheel at the 10 and 2 o’clock position but the manual says to hold it at the 9 and 3 or even 8 and 4 o’clock position. Which one is right?
Answer: I’m reluctant to say your dad is wrong but he’s probably teaching the skills he was correctly taught before airbags were a common feature in cars and that information is no longer valid.
Imagining the steering wheel as a clock face, most driving manuals recommend holding the steering wheel at the 9 and 3 o’clock or even lower at the 8 and 4 o’clock position. This serves two functions. First, it prevents the driver from turning the wheel too sharply. If a distracted driver should run off the road, the natural tendency is to automatically steer sharply back onto the road. This is how so many teens get killed and injured when they lose control of their vehicle.
The second reason for holding the wheel at those positions is to protect your hands and arms if the airbags should deploy. In a crash, the airbags deploy at 200 mph in one-tenth of a second. If your hands are high on the wheel, they can be injured when the airbag deploys. To avoid injury to your arms and hands if the airbag should deploy, keep your hands lower, your knuckles on the outside of the wheel and your thumbs resting on the rim of the wheel – not wrapped around the wheel.
100 Deadliest Days For Teens: Infographic
July 3, 2014
The 100 day period between Memorial Day at the end of May and Labor Day at the beginning of September have historically been the deadliest period for teen drivers. Free time, lack of structure, boredom, alcohol, and distracting passengers all lead to a dangerous driving environment for teens. The infographic above shows the dangers posed when one or more teen passengers are carried by an inexperienced teen driver.
Teen Dies From Caffeine Overdose
July 1, 2014
A teen who was found dead five days before graduation died from a caffeine overdose. According to a coroner’s report, the teen had more than 70 micrograms of caffeine per milliliter of blood compared to three to 15 micrograms found in a typical energy drink. The teen, who apparently ordered the powdered form of the drug online, suffered cardiac arrhythmia and seizures brought on by ingesting the caffeine. According to a USA Today report, a 12 oz. cup of Starbucks coffee contains 260 milligrams of caffeine while a teaspoon of pure caffeine can contain up to 1600 milligrams. Read more: Autopsy finds Keystone senior died from caffeine overdose