Changing the Driving Culture

By maria | Published: January 19, 2012

It is that time of year again when state legislators come together and hundreds of bills are drafted and pushed through the process.  This year in Arizona, State Senator John McComish is sponsoring a bill that would ban wireless devices in the cars of new drivers.  While I have been accused of being a zealot about the topic of cell phone use in vehicles, I am not in favor of this particular bill.  If we are going to ban cell phones, then they need to be banned for ALL drivers, not just teenagers.  I am on the road every day and I see people crossing the white or yellow line and MOST of the time they are on a cell phone.

If we were being honest, we know for a FACT that it is NOT just teens that are driving recklessly with eyes on their phones instead of the road.  Are they the most “at risk?”  Absolutely.   They are novice drivers and it is of utmost importance for them to be focused on the road, but it does not alleviate the need for them to have good role models in the adults in their lives, or to change the mentality of drivers of all ages.  Legislation is not the answer to this problem.  I am always for traffic safety legislation, stiffer penalties and making the laws stronger, but laws in and of themselves will not change the cavalier attitude people have about driving.

Click here to take an interesting awareness test.  Our brains are JUST not wired to pay attention to multiple things.  When we are driving, no matter what age we are, we need to stay focused on the road and what is going on around us.  When did our vehicles become our entertainment centers or our offices?  The fact that cars sell based on electronic packages and not safety features is pretty telling in and of itself.  So, of course, car manufacturers are giving the customers what they want – all the latest technology and bells and whistles they could possibly dream of.  The Detroit Auto Show is going on this week and in a recent article in the Detroit Free Press, young drivers said they wanted “a smartphone on wheels.”

While there is a concerted effort to make the electronics “less distracting” they are a distraction in that they take our ATTENTION away from driving.  It is a split second when something happens that we are not prepared for and someone’s life changes forever.  Why is it no one seems to get this and more importantly why don’t people care?  I believe the answer to that question is because it hasn’t happened to them, and my reaction is, how selfish we have become.  Read this open letter from someone that it did happen to.  She didn’t expect it either, but yet it happened to her because someone else was distracted behind the wheel of a car.  Is that the ONLY way people are going to “get it?”  If it happens to them?  How unfortunate for all of us.

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NTSB Urges Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving

By maria | Published: December 17, 2011

YouTube Preview ImageThe National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recommending a national ban on cell phone use while driving.  I recently posted this message on DrivingMBA’s facebook page and the comments I received were in favor of the idea.  There are concerns as to the difficulty in enforcing this law.  What do you think?

Those of you that are engaged with DrivingMBA know my position on cell phone use while driving.  I have been accused of being “over the top” on it.  The reason is pretty simple.  I am an owner of DrivingMBA, and because of that I have come to know and become friends with people who have suffered the consequences of car crashes.  In our December issue of the DrivingMBA/Red Means Stop newsletter you will read what Frank Hinds wrote 15 years after his daughter, Jennifer, was killed by a red light runner.

I know and have come to consider Frank and his wife Gail, friends. It breaks my heart every time I hear Frank talk about his daughter; and Gail, she doesn’t talk about it much, as I suspect it is too painful. I have a daughter of my own, and cannot even begin to fathom what that pain would be like.  Jennifer didn’t die because of cell phone use.  She died because someone ran a red light. Guess what folks?  Red light running often occurs because someone is distracted.  In my opinion, being on the phone, only makes the probability that much higher.

All of us have been in our vehicles and watch people crossing the white or yellow lines and invariably, if you look over at them, they are on a cell phone. You see, MOST people that engage in the activity think, “I can do it and it is not a problem.”  The truth is “you can’t” and you are being irresponsible when you make the choice to use your cell phone and drive.  If you have children and you use your cell phone while you are driving you are setting a horrible example and you are putting your children at risk.  It is really no different than if you chose to drink and drive, as the results are often the same.  Distracted driving, and particularly being distracted by texting or talking on a cell phone has become an epidemic.

There are thousands of families across the globe that have fallen victim to distracted driving. I can’t think of a single phone call or text message that is worth inflicting that kind of pain on someone or on your own family.  Can you?

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Why We Should Lower the Minimum Age For Getting a Permit (and Get Parents to Participate in Teaching Life Skills)

By maria | Published: December 5, 2011

by Rich Wojtczak

Many of the so-called experts are advocating that getting a permit to begin driver training should be delayed, some even suggesting 17 as the minimum age. Their arguments typically center around immaturity. While I agree that there are some teens that lack the desired level of maturity at 15, the same unfortunately is also true for some adults over the age of 35.

By delaying the start of training we are most likely reducing the amount of time that a teen gets to practice under the watchful eye of a responsible adult. In fact, if we do nothing but increase the minimum age, we stand a good chance of giving the teen a reason to simply delay licensing beyond the GDL window, which studies show is already happening. There are a growing number of teens that are not pursuing a driver license when they are eligible.

A better approach would be to issue the permit at 15, and increase the holding period to a year, or even longer. Along with that, should be a requirement, similar to what Texas has implemented, that requires driver training until the age of 25.

Parents need to understand the consequences of delaying the initiation of their child into the world of motor vehicle operation. They are pretty much abdicating their chance to influence how much and what quality training their child gets in a life skill.

The financial burden of having a teen driver on your insurance is huge. The cost of high quality training is not a drop in the bucket. Parents need to balance that against the value of putting a well trained and prepared child on the road where a single mistake can mean injury or death.

How much did the football, cheerleading, dance, soccer, baseball, basketball training cost? Was the consequence of inadequate training potentially death at an early age?

 

 

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Technology and the Skill of Driving

By maria | Published: November 19, 2011

I attended a conference last week and one of the topics discussed was technology in vehicles. I was flabbergasted at the amount of technology that is in many vehicles today and the kind of technology that is being developed for the future.  The younger generation really doesn’t care about the vehicles or the safety features; what matters to them is the electronics available in those vehicles.  According to the studies, it is the electronic packages that sell vehicles these days.  While it is exciting and amazing how far we have come in technological advances, it is also troublesome to me. I continue to wonder what are we doing to the human capacity to think and do for ourselves.

It really struck me when I was in the restroom and was trying to get the faucet to go on because it had one of those sensors that make the faucet turn on by itself. Of course, it wasn’t working properly or I wasn’t placing my hands in the right place, but I looked over at the woman next to me and said, “I hate these things that are supposed to do things for you. “ While I am sure there is a legitimate argument about hygiene when it comes to turning the water on and off manually, because, of course, the sensors allow the water to turn on without you having to touch anything, but really, “mother I would rather do it myself!” I feel that way when I am typing and all of a sudden the computer starts to correct my grammar or my sentence structure. Personally, I prefer to read and re-read what I have written and make sure it says what I want it to say and how I want to say it. I really don’t want to rely on the technology to do that thinking for me.

I own a driving school that utilizes state of the art technology to assist in the training of novice drivers, so I do not have an aversion to technology – it certainly has its place, but there is a key word I want to highlight, and that is the word ASSIST.   As much as I believe in the power of technology to improve many aspects of our lives, I simply do not believe that technology should replace our ability or capacity “to do” and much more importantly “to think.”  Even in our business, we use the simulation technology to assist in the training process, it does not replace an instructor that interacts and helps a student through the learning process.

There are all types of technology that go into vehicles. The functions range from full entertainment to navigation to safety features. Below are some of the “alphabet soup” safety features that are in vehicles today:

  • ABS – anti-lock braking system. When your wheels lock up on wet and slippery roads or during a panic stop, you may lose traction and control, causing your vehicle to spin. Anti-lock brakes keep your wheels from locking up, so you can maintain directional control around hazards if you can’t make a complete stop in time.
  • Cruise Control – a system that automatically controls the speed of a motor vehicle. The system takes over the throttle of the car to maintain a steady speed as set by the driver. Some vehicles are equipped with ASC – Adaptive Speed Control that has a sensor and will adapt to the speed of the vehicle in front of you.
  • ESC – Electronic Stability Control has been mandated by the government and will be in all 2012 model year vehicles. ESC is a vehicle control system comprised of sensors and a microcomputer that continuously monitors how well a vehicle responds to a driver’s steering input, selectively applies the vehicle brakes, and modulates engine power to keep the vehicle traveling along the path indicated by the steering wheel position. This technology helps prevent the sideways skidding and loss of control that can lead to rollovers.
  • LDWS – Lane Departure Warning System is a mechanism designed to warn a driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane (unless a turn signal is on in that direction) on freeways and arterial roads.

Many of these technologies and more are designed to make vehicles safer and/or easier, however, the negative side is over dependence on the technology to correct our errors. It is still important for people to learn to be safe and responsible drivers.   At the end of the day we are still the ones in control of that machine.  Technology is not foolproof, it can fail, and if it does, we need to be able to “do it” on our own.

It is also important to know what your vehicle is equipped with and how the technology works. I hear interesting stories from people who have some of the new technologies in their vehicle and are surprised when something happens that they didn’t expect.  Reading the owners manual is becoming more and more important as vehicles are equipped with more bells and whistles. Unfortunately, when we work with new drivers most of them do not even know what braking system their vehicle is equipped with; while most new vehicles are equipped with ABS brakes, there are some that are not. It is particularly important to know how things work, even entertainment or navigation equipment before you start driving, as it is NOT a good idea to be trying to figure things out while driving.

 

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Making a Difference, One New Driver at a Time

By maria | Published: October 21, 2011

As seen on cover of Arizona Parenting Magazine

Hmmmm, why would I want to spend money on driver training? My grandpa taught me how to drive, I can teach my kid myself. Why would I spend so much money on a “video game?” Why would we do simulation – they need to “feel” the car and get “real” experience. Yes, I have heard this and much more.

November of this year will mark DrivingMBA’s 8th year in business in Scottsdale and 4th year in Chandler. To be honest, it has been a struggle. My husband and I started this company in response to the senseless deaths we watched happening in our hometown of Scottsdale. 2002-2003 were particularly harsh years and 9 teenagers lost their lives in Scottsdale to driving collisions. We started out with the naïveté of entrepreneurs – “we will build it and they will come.” Well, we quickly learned that that wasn’t happening, so we listened and started down a path of change.

When we first started we saw ourselves as an important complement to traditional driver training and then quickly realized that customers really wanted a one-stop solution for their driver training needs. Our solution early in the process was to partner with existing driving schools and we learned a great deal from several years of offering packages utilizing a combination of our simulation services and the on-road services from another driving school. In 2007, when we opened Chandler, we were literally forced into providing everything under the DrivingMBA umbrella. It was the best thing that happened to us and we saw a real shift in our enrollments.

Through the years we have received countless testimonials from parents and students that have told us how much they appreciated what we did and the difference it made for them. When we would receive an e-mail from a mom about how their daughter or son averted a crash we were absolutely delighted and it would fuel us to keep moving forward.

As I said above, it has been a struggle. We continue to look for ways to educate parents and teenagers about the issues that surround teen drivers. Of course, we are extremely tuned into the local and national news on this subject and there has been a great deal of emphasis placed on the fact that car collisions are the #1 cause of death for teenagers. Those numbers supersede the #2 and #3 reasons, which are suicide and homicide by a large margin. We strongly believe that we are “part” of the solution. For those of you that know us personally, you understand that we have a sometimes-consuming passion for keeping teens safe on the road.

We have tough recommendations such as 100 hours of practice before they get a license, and no passengers for the first year of licensure. We have a tough road test and set a high bar for students in order to get a certificate for their license from DrivingMBA. While our pass rate is very good, we have a number of students that don’t pass the first time. Not because we’re mean or we like failing them, because we don’t – we actually hate it. We do it because we believe, at our core, that it is the absolute right thing to do. We can look ourselves in the mirror and we can sleep at night knowing we did what was in the best interest of that student.

So why would you choose DrivingMBA over a school that does classroom and on-road instruction or a program that does closed course defensive maneuvers? The reason, we believe, is simple. We have researched and continued to refine our instruction methodology and curriculum to meet the needs of individual students. We think of the “seat time” in simulators as a lab where students are not sitting listening to an adult drone on and on about what they should and should not do. Instead they are experiencing the scenario in a simulated environment where they can learn from their mistakes. Making a mistake on a simulator costs nothing. Press replay and ask questions: what could you have done differently? What did you do wrong? That is how a student experiences a potentially dangerous situation and discovers how to handle it in a safe environment. I always compare it to pilot training. Do you think you have ever been on a plane with a captain or co-captain that has not spent a significant amount of time in a simulator? Do you think they experienced an emergency landing for the first time in a real plane? I think not. So why is it so difficult to understand why the same principles apply to driving?

Several years ago we partnered with the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Their 5 hour closed course teen program is part of our Elite package. When the Bondurant folks came to DrivingMBA they saw and experienced how simulation could teach students skills that even they could not teach in skid cars or in a closed course. Even on a closed course you cannot put students in situations such as head-on collision or a tire blow out at 65+ mph. The highest speed you can achieve in a skid car is 30 mph. Are closed course programs useful? Of course they are. AND, there is nothing like a simulated environment where you can face the unimaginable and live to learn from it. Driving on a freeway at 65 mph, having a student text the instructor and all of a sudden the vehicle in front of them comes to a screeching halt, is a teachable moment that does not present itself in any other medium.

How does DrivingMBA’s instruction methodology differ from other schools that might use simulators? Our ratio is 2:1 in our beginner program and 1:1 in our defensive driving program. We use the simulators as a tool to teach student skills, not as the teacher. Many other programs, particularly those found in high schools utilize lower level simulators and there is usually a large group of students on simulators. The teacher acts as a moderator of activity, not as a facilitator of learning. That is how our model differs. Our individualized approach provides an opportunity for the instructor to pay close attention to a student, make adjustments to meet the needs of that particular student and use the simulation as a tool to teach a skill or make a point.

Folks, if you have taken the time to read through this article, we would love to engage in dialogue with you. Respond to this blog and please like us on facebook click here and make comments. We post photos of our students, tips and educational videos – some that are fun and have a message as well. If you love what we do we would greatly appreciate a referral. Forward this to a family member or a friend that has someone that needs to learn to drive.

Thanks for taking the time to read our story. We will continue to do the work we do because we know in our hearts that we are making a difference, one new driver at a time.

 

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7 Simple Steps to Teaching Your Teen To Drive — NOT

By maria | Published: September 25, 2011

There are no “easy steps” or “10 tips” about how to educate and train a novice driver. Why is it we have to reduce everything to the top 5 reasons, or the 7 tips or 12 steps to do ANYTHING? Whatever happened to recognizing that each of us is a unique individual and we learn and process information differently? Sure we can make generalizations, we have to in order to navigate the world, but in the end, each individual’s own needs and style have to be taken into account. That is certainly true when it comes to teaching someone to drive. There are students that are considered the “norm” and then there are others that are the “exceptions” to the norm. If you really think about it, the exceptions are much more prevalent than the norm. Do you have a student that:

  • Is bright, takes honors or advanced classes in school or just excels academically?
  • Struggles and just can’t keep up no matter how hard they try?
  • Is difficult to motivate and challenge to do and be their best?
  • Has a learning challenge – ADD, ADHD, on the Autism spectrum, OCD, Anxiety disorder, brain injury, Bi-polar?

Obviously, this list can go on, but to make my point, let me just say, that if you have a student that falls into any one of those categories there is a lot to be considered when teaching that particular student how to drive.

How does age play into the equation? I live in the State of Arizona, and in this state a teenager is “eligible” for their learner’s permit at 15 years and 6 months. In other states it may be 15 or 17. Are any of these the “right age?” My answer is – there is “no right age.” There are behaviors and abilities that need to be taken into account. Do they have a level of maturity to comprehend the magnitude of responsibility driving a vehicle entails? Do they have the ability to develop the “basic skills” of vehicle control, lane position, and making left or right turns? Do they have the ability to develop the judgment and decision making skills that will allow them to react properly in any given situation?

How long is long enough for them to “hold a learners permit? In the State of Arizona it is six months. In other states it may be longer. Is there a right number? Again, my answer is – no, it depends on the circumstances. Does your student fall into the “norm” or are they an “exception?” If they fall into the “exceptions” then they will most likely take longer, maybe even years before they are ready to solo. If they have really busy schedules, they may take longer because they can’t take the necessary time to practice. Does their coach (usually the parent) have the ability to dedicate the time to practice with them? Just because you send them to driving school doesn’t mean you can wash your hands of any responsibility. Think of it in these terms – can your student attend a math class and not do their homework or practice a mathematical concept and then pass the test with an acceptable grade? Why would driving be any different?

Teaching someone to drive is a complex process in the best of circumstances. Why do we have the need to trivialize and make it seem easy? My answer is because it is what fits into our hectic life styles. Lack of time and energy is the excuse. “I don’t have time to take a class, “ I don’t have time to practice, they’ll learn on their own.” If either of these are you, then what I would say to you is – keep your child off the roads until you can make the time – the time to learn, the time to practice and the time to develop the appropriate skills to keep you and the rest of us alive. Visit our “Stop the Roadway Carnage” blog. It consists of newsfeeds regarding driving, and unfortunately, there is never a shortage of stories of fatalities and injuries around the United States. The only way we will change this trend is to get people to think differently about driving. It isn’t as easy as it looks. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration and I have only scratched the surface in this article. I will elaborate on them in subsequent articles.

 

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Preparing your Child for the Responsibility of Driving

By maria | Published: September 20, 2011

Whether your child is near driving age or still in a booster seat it is never too early to think about teaching your child safe practices in a vehicle. They begin to form habits very early in their development. You have probably seen children in their Little Tikes car or their motorized vehicle tooling around the neighborhood with a “play telephone” to their ear. We think it’s adorable, but if you think about it, it is a child picking up a very bad habit. Talking on the phone and driving a car becomes a “norm” because they see Mommy or Daddy doing it all the time.

I have tried to do informational presentations to Middle School students and parents to talk about safe driving, but I have not been greeted with open arms. Instead I have had moms say “I don’t EVEN want to think about driving, it’s too early. “ It is my belief that it is never too early to start to help your child understand what a big responsibility it is to be behind the wheel of a car. By the time they get into high school their opinions and habits are often formed by the examples provided them by the adults in their life.

So, now you have a teenager that is either “hot to trot” to get a license or a teenager that is really in no hurry and maybe even frightened about the whole idea. What do you do? My first recommendation to parents is to get informed. Think about providing your child with a good foundation of driver training. Do your research, visit the schools and make an informed decision. Ask about curriculum and quality control. Let quality instruction, not price, be your deciding factor. If money is an issue then become educated. Knowing how to drive and teaching someone how to drive are two very different things.

The parent-teen relationship can be difficult at best. Add the elements of trying to keep everyone alive while trying to teach a skill – it is just not always a good combination. Even those of you that THINK you are really good drivers (90% of drivers consider themselves above average) have picked up some bad habits over the years and you will likely pass those on to your teenager.

Don’t assume just because your teenager presents you with what looks like “pretty decent skills” that it makes them a “good driver.” Too often I hear those words from parents; you need to remember they are a NOVICE driver. Even those students that can make a good right and left turn, with good lane position and vehicle control, don’t really know how to handle all the different situations that can pop up out there.

Finally, don’t rush this, even if you want them to get their license before they start the next school year and make your life easier. This may be the MOST important thing you do for your teenager. Don’t let convenience drive your decision making, let readiness drive it. Is your teenager ready to handle the roadways safely?

If driver training is not an option for you, we offer a Parent Class that provides parents with information and tips on how to work with their teenager. Whatever you decide to do, make sure that you spend a LOT of time talking to your teenager about safe driving and practicing with them in all types of situations. The more you are engaged in conversation and the more time you spend practicing with them, the better equipped they will be. This is a life skill that can keep them alive – don’t take shortcuts that you may regret later.

 

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“Where Should I Stop?”

By maria | Published: August 17, 2011

by Meredith Vaugh, DrivingMBA On-Road, Beginner and Classroom Program Instructor

Instructor: Where should you stop at the intersection when the light is red?

Student: Behind the stop line so I can see it over the hood of my car?

Instructor: You are right! So tell me, why are you are stopping over the stop line, so close to the crosswalk?

 Student: Well my parents keep telling me to move up when I stop back behind the line because they say I am too far back and need to stop where other cars stop.

 Instructor: Have your parents attended the Parent Class?

Student: No, I don’t think they have.

Instructor: Well we need to encourage them to attend the class so they learn what we expect from you and why we teach what we teach.

Parents, this is just one example of a conversation that I have with students every day out on the road. Here at DrivingMBA it is our mission to train our students to be responsible decision makers, defensive and actively involved drivers. We teach them specific skills and techniques that are research-based and proven to reduce the likelihood of a collision. Many of these techniques are different from what you learned or are different from how you drive today. This is why we provide parents with a class that is designed to be informational and help level expectations.

When you attend a Parent Class you are able to use the same terminology when you practice with your teen driver  that we use in our instruction.  As instructors we can tell which of our parents have attended the Parent Class and which parents have not, simply based on how their student performs during their on road time with us. When parents choose not to attend the class there can be some confusion for the student as to how they perform specific objectives and what is expected of them while out on the road. While the Parent Class is 3 hours long, it is packed full of important information that our parents need to know to help their students be successful drivers.  I, and all of the DrivingMBA instructors encourage you to take the time to attend a Parent Class, you just might find it is the best 3 hours you’ve invested in your new driver’s safety.

 

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DrivingMBA Graduate’s Quick Thinking Protects Her Loved Ones

By maria | Published: July 14, 2011

On July 12, 2011 one of our students was involved in a car crash.  We received this message from her mom the next day:

Dear DrivingMBA,

Last night my daughter was involved in a car accident on the 101, just south of Chandler Blvd. She was stopped in traffic, in the leftmost lane (next to HOV lane). She was rear-ended and the small pickup that hit her was going about 55-60 mph upon impact. The police estimate that the driver’s initial speed to be 80-85. My daughter looked in her rearview mirror and noticed smoke from brakes and made the split second decision to let her foot off the brake, look to her right and notice there was not a car there, and turned the wheels. We firmly believe that because of her decision she saved herself, her sister in the passenger’s seat, and a friend in the middle backseat from serious injuries. Had she hit the car in front of her the airbags would have gone off and possibly hurt the girls in the front more. Each girl has a very sore neck and back, but they all walked away from the scene without serious injury. I believe that exact scenario was something she practiced on the simulator. We credit Driving MBA with teaching her the skills to make that split second decision, and for teaching her what I couldn’t. We want to thank you all for the wonderful job instructing our daughter on defensive driving 1 year ago, and for the excellent program you have in place.

Thank you!

Lisa, Chandler, AZ

DrivingMBA is very proud of our young graduate and we hope that everyone involved is feeling better. Stories like this keep us dedicated to training young drivers. We appreciate Lisa sharing her story.

Posted in Driver Training, Teen Drivers, Teen Driving Tips | Leave a comment

Behind the Wheel: Some Students Don’t get the Opportunity to Learn from Their Mistake

By maria | Published: June 29, 2011

I recently did two presentations for a local high school’s Health & Safety classes on the topic of teenage driving.  The first session had a handful of students that had their license and a few with permits, but most will be preparing to drive in the next year or two.   I was dumbfounded by my experience with these students.  My presentation was just under 2 hours and I was in their face about choices they make and the fact that the carnage occuring on our roadways needs to stop.   I had one student ask whether I use a particular video that has shots of dead bodies, I was a bit taken aback and asked the question – “so you need to see death before you believe me?” He and a few other students said, “yes, it helps.”   I had another student say that “until we (teenagers) experience “it” for ourselves we aren’t going to change.”  I stood there and said: “so you’re telling me that you cannot learn from what I am sharing with you, or the fact that most of your peers stood up in this room when I asked “how many of you have lost a friend or had a friend in a car crash?” “  He said, “yes that is what I’m saying.”   In that moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.  I am not usually at a loss for words and I had no idea how to respond to this young man.  A female student raised her hand and I called on her, she said, “smart people learn from their mistakes, really smart people learn from others mistakes.”  It was as if she sent me a lifeline.  If we cannot get these young people to understand the risks they take often turn into senseless tragedy BEFORE they experience it for themselves, then what hope do we have for changing the devastating trend in America?

What she said, in that moment, will remain with me forever.  The remainder of the presentation had it’s ups and downs and as I finished a young girl in the front row said, “I’d like to say something,” and I said of course. She stood up and said she was from Hawaii and that Hawaii is one of the worse states for drugs, and alcohol use and as a result driving fatalities are also commonplace.   In the past 6 to 7 months she has lost 9 friends to car crashes.  She started to cry because she wasn’t able to go back and attend their funerals and mourn.  She then proceeded to describe a car crash she herself was in where she disobeyed her parents and had her X- boyfriends young brother in the vehicle and how he could have been killed.  Now, she suffers from Post Tramautic Stress Disorder.  She pleaded with her classmates to take heed. I went to her afterwards and said, “I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose 9 friends and then experience a crash yourself.” I gave her my card and asked her to call me because I want to video tape her story, because her story needs to be told.

During the presentation I heard story after story of parents that are terrible role models and when their kids tell them to stop a dangerous behavior in a car (texting, for example)  they tell their children to shut up.  I was mortified to learn that these young, impressionable teens, during a time when they need guidance and good role models, are being shut down by the very people that should be setting a good example.  Folks, we need to change the sentiment in this country about driving.  Our vehicles are not our offices, they are not our entertainment rooms, they are not where we should be doing anything we didn’t have time to do before.  They are machines that have a purpose and that purpose is to provide mobility and get us from point A to point B.  It is up to the operator as to whether we do it safely.    Do you realize that your child is more likely to survive a tour of duty in Iraq, then they are on U.S. roadways?  We lose approximately 6,000 teens every year to car crashes and thousands more are injured.  Anywhere from 10 to 15 teenagers lose their life on our roadways every day.  Think it won’t happen to you?  It happens to someone EVERY SINGLE DAY!

These statistics have an impact on me as an educator and as a parent.  As parents we all need to sit up and take notice.  Unless the lessons of safety start at home, these kids start this process at an extreme disadvantage.  They need the adults in their lives to show them the way, not to shut them down.  Don’t wait until something happens and then throw your hands up in despair and say, “how could this happen?”  It happens all the time.  Sometimes, to those that do take all the precautions and talk to their kids and instill a sense of responsibility.  It happens to them because others have not done their job as parents.  It  is up to us to help our children develop a healthy respect for the fact that not only do they take their own lives into their hands when they are behind the wheel of a vehicle, but also the lives of everyone else that is on the roadways.  As I said to a couple of young ladies in my second class that day who thought everything was funny, “do not take one of my family or friends out, because then you will have me to deal with.”  They stopped laughing.

 

 

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