Parents on traffic patrol

< Parents, do you have any strageties you use that aren't
discussed here? >

Pacts, training and monitoring are all part of effort to keep teen
drivers safe
By Tony Bizjak -- Bee Staff Writer

Published 12:01 am PDT Saturday, July 15, 2006
Story appeared on Page A1 of The Bee

One evening recently, Dawn Holliday sat her soon-to-be 16-year-old
daughter Jordan down in the dining room of their Granite Bay home.

"We need to talk about driving," the mother said.

Her tone sent Jordan's mind racing. Is she going to say I can't get my
license?

No. But Holliday did place an unsigned contract in front of the eager
driver-to-be.

A license is a privilege, not a right, Holliday said. We're going to
agree on some rules and restrictions for your first months, she added.
One rule: Jordan will not use her cell phone while driving.

UCDavis Health
The contract -- Jordan says she hesitated momentarily before signing
it -- now hangs on the refrigerator door.

In taking a stand, Holliday joined the ranks of parents who have
decided to play traffic cop during the most dangerous period in their
child's life, the first year of solo driving.

Recent news headlines in the Sacramento area offer an ominous backdrop
to the mother-daughter meeting at the dining room table: Crashes
caused by teen drivers have killed at least 10 people and injured at
least 22 around the region since April.

Holliday, an Allstate Insurance claims adjuster, admits, "I am
terrified that could happen to my daughter."

Some parents make their kids sign contracts; others require their
just-licensed teens to take advanced driving technique courses. Still
others attend dose-of-reality sessions with their teens, such as the
California Highway Patrol's year-old "start smart" course, where guest
speakers include parents of teens killed on the road.

Meanwhile, companies are pitching products that help parents keep even
closer tabs on their teens: GPS tracking systems; in-car cameras; a
plug-in data collector that tracks how a teen drives; and a bumper
sticker asking: "How is my teen driving?" accompanied by a phone
number.

Researcher Bruce Simons-Morton of the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development says he has come to believe that involved
parents "may be the key to future reductions in teenager crash rates."

Teens may well agree, according to a recent Allstate Foundation
survey: Most teens chose their parents when asked who "could be best
at getting you to drive more safely?"

The word "could" is a problem. Many parents turn a blind eye to their
teen's driving, believing there is little they can do or simply
relieved not to play chauffeur anymore.

But in California, parents can be held financially liable if their
teen is at fault in a crash.

And a Santa Rosa mother was convicted recently of contributing to the
delinquency of a minor for allowing her unlicensed daughter to drive
to school to pick up homework. On that drive, her daughter killed two
friends in a high-speed crash.

"There was a lot of (community) support for prosecution of the
mother," said prosecutor Clare Keithley. "Many felt she was more
responsible than the daughter."

Data consistently show that teen crash risk is highest in the first
months after licensure.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-sponsored study this
month reports 16-year-old drivers are nearly 10 times more likely to
crash than drivers between the ages of 30 and 59, and twice as likely
to crash as 18- and 19-year-old drivers.

In some ways, driving is tougher today for beginners. Speeds are
higher, streets are more congested, and there are more distractions,
such as cell phones and music players.

Driving instructor Glen Munson, who also teaches martial arts, draws
this analogy: "I wouldn't put a beginner in with black belts, but that
is exactly what we do on the road with teens."

In that climate, even the best-behaved teens are not immediately good
drivers.

"Parents will say, 'I have a good teen, I trust my teen,' " said Gary
Direnfeld, founder of the "I Promise Program" for teen driving safety.
"But, the issue isn't trust. The issue is lack of judgment, lack of
experience."

Frank Velasquez, spokesman for the company that sells the CarChip
monitoring device, plugged one into his teenage son's car and was
shocked: The download showed his son had hit 92 mph taking his younger
brother to a restaurant.

Troubled by teen crash rates, many insurance companies now offer teens
and parents DVD or CD programs on safe driving, as well as templates
for parent-teen contracts.

Sonya Wilson of Carmichael and her son Rob, 16, recently finished a
safer driving program -- teenSMART -- and say it made them better
drivers.

TeenSMART, a national program developed by the ADEPT Driver company in
Sacramento, combines computer simulations and focused driving tasks to
teach teens crash avoidance driving styles. AAA gave Wilson's son a 20
percent discount on insurance for completing the program.

As part of the course, mother and son drove typical routes -- to
school, theaters, restaurants -- analyzing potential trouble spots and
mapping out strategies.

"It was kind of a hassle," Rob said of the program, "but it was worth
it. It made me a better driver."

Road safety officials say the ultimate education occurs when the teen
goes solo, with no instructor or parent riding shotgun.

The worst distraction, statistics show, is other teens in the car.
California law bans most first-year teen drivers from having any
passengers younger than 20 in the car without a licensed adult 25 or
older present and also prohibits them from driving between 11 p.m. and
5 a.m.

But police are not allowed to stop teens on suspicion of violating
that law. Officers can check for compliance only if they pull the teen
over for another reason.

That, officials say, leaves real enforcement to parents. Yet, with
their teens constantly pushing to be free of parental control, many
parents end up shrugging and crossing fingers.

Sacramento parent Peter Poppler bought a DVD course on safe driving
for his sons, but six months later hasn't gotten them to complete it.
Instead, he says, they study Japanese DVDs on "drifting," a popular
skidding technique and their weekend hobby at racetracks.

"You can preach, but the kids have to have it in them," Poppler said.
"You just hope that you have impressed on them to be responsible for
their actions."

Parents in California have ultimate legal control over teens'
licenses. They can cancel an under-18 teen's license at any moment, no
explanation needed, by filling out a half-page form called DL 142 at
the Department of Motor Vehicles.

DMV records show parents have taken that step only 193 times in the
past three years.

Increasingly, safety researchers suggest contracts, although they
admit enforcing some aspects of them can be difficult.

Gary Direnfeld, whose "I Promise Program" offers a sample contract,
says a contract's greatest value may simply be that it prompts a
serious, face-to-face discussion of safe driving.

Dawn Holliday, the Granite Bay parent whose daughter Jordan plans to
get her license next month, felt the dining room conversation went
well. Using a template from Allstate, the pair agreed on a 10 p.m.
curfew, no cell phone, no teen passengers, and maintaining good
grades.

While contract advocates say parents should "negotiate" contracts with
their teens, Jordan remembers one issue over which Mom just laid down
the law.

What should the consequence be if I find out you didn't wear your seat
belt? Holliday asked.

"I don't know, I'm grounded, I guess, for a week?" Jordan replied.

" 'No,' " she said her mom responded. " 'You lose your license.' "

TEEN-DRIVER TIPS
Here are suggested steps for a successful contract for your teen's
first months behind the wheel:

? Establish that driving is a privilege that can be canceled

? Note that some points are non-negotiable, such as obeying all laws,
including first-year provisions banning teens from transporting others
under age 20

? Seek an agreement that while driving teens will not use a cell
phone, eat, change CDs or engage in distracting behavior

? Base driving privileges mainly on how teens' driving skills advance,
not how well they do in school, at chores, or other activities

? Agree on responsibilities for car payments, gas expenses,
maintenance and insurance costs

? Agree on what the teen must do in particular circumstances, such as
attending a party as a passenger if the driver drinks alcohol at the
gathering

? Delineate when a teen cannot drive without adult supervision, such
as after dark and during inclement weather

? Restrict where a teen can drive, including certain high-speed roads
to be avoided

? Require teens to share the family car, delaying the moment when they
get their own vehicle

? Set a follow-up date -- after one, two or three months of driving --
when parents and teens will assess the driving. Amend the contract,
possibly easing some restrictions or adding others

? Review the contract to make sure parents and teens agree on the
rules

? Sign the document

? Post the contract in a conspicuous place

? Amendments to the agreement should be written and signed

? Don't let the contract or follow-up negotiations fall by the wayside

Source: Bruce Simons-Morton of the National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14278469p-15087334c.html

==
"You have enemies? Good! That means you've stood up for something in your life."
-- Winston Churchill
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