Category Archive: Safe Driving
Combined Alcohol-Marijuana Use More Dangerous Than Either Alone
May 1, 2014
In one of those studies that should seem to be a no-brainer, researchers have found that the combined use of alcohol and marijuana is more dangerous for teen drivers than the use of either of the drugs alone. Teens who combine the two drugs get more traffic tickets and are involved in crashes at a higher rate than users of just marijuana or alcohol.
With the push to legalize marijuana throughout the country, teens may be getting the false message that marijuana is a harmless drug. They need to be reminded that, even though it may be legal in some states, it is still illegal to drive while under the effects of the drug. Combining marijuana and alcohol means adding one depressant to another and leads to a synergistic effect where the effects of the two drugs are combined are more powerful.
AAA Wants Teens To Make The AAA PROMise
April 29, 2014
With the arrival of prom and graduation season, the American Automobile Association (AAA) is promoting a program to help teens remain safe on the roads. In conjunction with the program, a survey of students in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Wisconsin conducted by AAA showed some disturbing information. Among the data found;
- 41% of teens report it is likely that they or their friends will be under the influence of drugs or alcohol sometime during prom or graduation season.
- 22% of teens have ridden in a car with an impaired driver or driven impaired because they didn’t want to call their parents for a ride.
The program sponsored by AAA is called the AAA PROMise. In the larger metropolitan areas of FL, GA, TN, and WI, if teens can’t get home safely from their prom or graduation and they call their parents for a ride, the parents can then call AAA for a free tow home for the family vehicle. Read more: Make the AAA PROMise
Loud And Rowdy Passenger Behavior Most Dangerous For Newly Licensed Drivers
April 24, 2014
A newly released study in the Journal of Adolescent Health points to loud teen passengers as one of the most dangerous factors leading to crashes among newly licensed teen drivers. The study, conducted by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, used video cameras to record driving situations allowing them to measure distracting events more reliably. Unlike events that the driver can control, such as texting and phone use, the loud and rowdy behavior of passengers is an uncontrollable factor that can be an even greater distraction for new teen drivers. Read more: New Study Identifies Loud Conversations Among Passengers as the Most Likely Distraction for Newly Licensed Adolescent Drivers
Study: Parents Don’t Devote Enough Time To Driving Instruction
April 18, 2014
One of the major problems with the US system of training teens to drive is that parents don’t have the training they need to properly train their teens to drive. While driving may be second nature to parents, it’s all new to the teen and with the teen at the wheel, parents miss out on a lot of “teachable moments.”
Researchers at the Highway Safety Research Centre at the University of North Carolina installed video cameras to see how much time parents actually devoted to driving instructions when teaching their teens to drive. The videos showed that parents spend more time on rudimentary vehicle handling techniques and not enough time on “higher order” techniques that will teach the teen to anticipate and plan for possible hazards ahead. Read more: Parents’ driving instruction often superficial
Drunk Driving Victim Shares His Story
April 14, 2014
Alex Balluff, suffered traumatic brain injury after being hit by a drunk driver. After months in a coma, the former honors student and star athlete survived but no longer has any short term memory and must rely on notes and journals to recall the day before. “I’m no longer the old me,” Alex said. “I lost my old identity.” Alex is now sharing his story with high school students. Read more: ‘I lost my old identity’; Drunk-driving victim shares his story at conference