News from the Youth Safety Council of Vermont

Novice and Remedial Driver Training Program
Brought to you by the Youth Safety Council of Vermont

This eight-hour course addresses many of the highway safety issues that are the primary causes of over 40,000 motor vehicle fatalities and about 3,000,000 injuries on our nation’s highways every year. The course combines hands-on training on a large asphalt strip, with classroom instruction and group discussions.

The program is open to licensed or suspended drivers 25 years of age or younger. Completion of the program may qualify participants for insurance premium credits and/or leniency considerations for motor vehicle violations.

For new teen and novice drivers, the course provides participants with skills that will help them be safer and more responsible drivers. It also illustrates the painful realities of irresponsible driving behaviors and choices. Parents are urged to attend and/or participate in this course with their youthful driver.

For first-time offenders and at-risk drivers, the course provides participants with an opportunity to identify their driving attitudes and choices; to understand the importance of accepting responsibility for these choices and the resulting outcomes; and the necessity to make safer and more effective choices.
 
The hands-on portion of the training is conducted by Stevens Advanced Driver Training, LLC. This organization has been training law enforcement agencies for over twenty-five years and teen drivers for over ten years. Late-model vehicles equipped with ABS brakes are used. This training portion focuses on correcting improper driving techniques and gaining driver experience. It puts students behind the wheel with experienced instructors in a controlled non-highway environment. Training exercises include emergency braking, steering and maneuvering with ABS brakes, collision avoidance, the hazards of tailgating, techniques for backing up safely, as well as emphasizing the importance of proper outward vision, the use of seatbelts, vehicle maintenance and tire condition.

The classroom portion is conducted by the NH Traffic Safety Institute, a National Safety Council training center, which has provided driver training throughout NH since 1994. This organization’s training emphasizes the connections between attitude and driving behavior, enabling participants to realize the importance of making safe choices and accepting responsibility for those choices and the resulting outcomes. Specific areas covered include driving defensively and always being in control, as well as the negative effects of alcohol, drugs, fatigue, aggressive driving, excessive speed, and road rage.

Certificates will be issued for each segment of the training that is successfully completed. Although experience indicates that it will seldom be necessary, each training center reserves the right to withhold a certificate from any participant who demonstrates an attitude of disrespect for the importance of highway safety. 

The cost of the training program is $400. Vermont residents will receive a $100 discount provided by the Youth Safety Council of Vermont. 

Please visit the Skid School website for program dates and enrollment information. 
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: (Tom Williams)
Vermont Regional Manager
AAA Northern New England
(229-0505)

AAA FOUNDATION STUDY SHOWS COMMUNITIES WITH NIGHTTIME AND PASSENGER RESTRICTIONS FOR TEEN DRIVERS HAVE 20 PERCENT LOWER DEATH AND INJURY CRASH RATE FOR 16-YEAR-OLD DRIVERS

July and August are Deadliest Months for 16- and 17-year-old Drivers,
According to AAA

(Montpelier, VT, 6/22/06) – Fatality and injury crash rates for 16-year-old drivers were 20 percent lower in a state with nighttime and passenger restrictions than in a comparison jurisdiction that lacked these building blocks of safer teen driving, according to a study released today by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. In addition, the study also showed that twice as many crash-free teens reported never having violated their state’s passenger restriction provision compared to teens that had crashed.

The significant differences between crash-free and crash-involved teen drivers were: overall compliance with provisions found in state graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs, adherence to traffic laws and regulations, and parental involvement.

“Teens who obey traffic rules and regulations, follow GDL regulations, and have actively involved parents are much less likely to crash,” said Tom Williams. “Just think how many lives could be saved with the combination of the right laws and parental involvement.” 

The study found that compliance with passenger restrictions was especially problematic, and teens involved in crashes reported more frequent violations when compared to crash-free teens. For example, 30 percent of crash-free teens, but only 16 percent of crash-involved teens, reported never violating their jurisdiction’s passenger restriction during their first six months of the intermediate stage of GDL. Nearly half of crash-involved teens reported violating the passenger restriction “more than a few times.”

Teens who had crashed were found to be more likely to violate traffic laws, relative to crash-free teens. For example, in Oregon 33 percent of crash-involved teens reported having received a ticket, as compared to only 13 percent of crash-free teens. Also, teens who had not been involved in crashes reported higher levels of parental monitoring, relative to their counterparts who had been involved in crashes.

“The summer months can be particularly deadly for teen drivers,” said Williams. “Our analysis of crash data shows that July and August are the deadliest months of the year for 16- and 17-year-old drivers. Summer vacation for teens often means unstructured schedules, less guidance from mom and dad, and more exposure to crashes. Enforcing safe driving rules that include passenger and nighttime limits is essential in keeping your teen and others safe on the road.” 

Crash deaths for 16- and 17-year-old drivers average nearly 20 percent higher in July and August, relative to the average monthly toll, according to a AAA Foundation analysis of federal crash data. From 1995 through 2004, an average of 104 16- and 17-year-old drivers died during July and August, compared to an average monthly death toll of 87 young drivers over the 10-year period.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, and government data show that 16-year-olds are involved in more than five times as many fatal crashes per mile driven as are adults in their 30s, 40s, or 50s.
According to the Foundation, nearly half of 16- and 17-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes are carrying at least one passenger under age 21 and no adult passengers. Over one third of deaths of 16- and 17-year-old drivers occur between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., despite the fact that there are fewer teens on the road during those hours.

Graduated driving laws ease new drivers into licensure, allowing them to build experience behind the wheel before encountering more complex – and more risky – driving situations. Vermont does not currently have a nighttime restriction as part of its GDL law. It is the only state in the northeast without any restricted hours on 16 and 17 year old drivers., It does have a passenger restriction during the first six months of licensure. 

To assist parents in guiding their new drivers, AAA clubs nationwide will be urging Department of Motor Vehicles to make crucial information about teen driver safety more readily accessible for parents and teens on state DMV Web sites. AAA analysis found many state Web sites fall far short in providing basic content helpful for parents in developing their young drivers. AAA has identified best practices from state DMV Web sites that other states should adopt to help parents understand the teen crash problem and their role in turning their teens into safe adult drivers. This content can be found at
 www.aaa.com/publicaffairs. 

The AAA Foundation offers an interactive and engaging DVD for teens called Driver-ZED™, which puts users through 100 driving scenarios allowing them to experience conditions it could take several years to encounter on the road. Also included is supplemental information to aid parents in the process. Visit www.driverzed.org to learn more.

For the AAA Foundation study, the Traffic Injury Research Foundation compared crash rates and crash patterns of teenage drivers in one jurisdiction with nighttime and passenger restrictions during the intermediate stage of GDL to those in another jurisdiction whose GDL program did not include such restrictions. TIRF also surveyed a random sample of 500 crash-free and 500 crash-involved, newly licensed teens and their parents in each of two jurisdictions to compare their experiences and characteristics.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is an independent, publicly funded, 501 (c)(3) charitable research and educational organization established in 1947 by AAA. The AAA Foundation’s mission is to prevent traffic deaths and injuries by conducting research into their causes and by educating the public about strategies to prevent crashes and reduce the impact when they do occur. “Reducing the Crash Risk for Young Drivers” along with all AAA Foundation reports are available online at www.aaafoundation.org.
 

Burlington Free Press Article about Driver Safety Program, April, 2006
Teens Steered Toward Safety

For Immediate Release              Contact:Ron Hallman  
April 14, 2006                      802-388-4744 

140 Vermont Teens Enrolled in First Advanced Driving
Safety Pilot Program
 
MIDDLEBURY- More than 140 Vermont teens have enrolled in the first-ever Advanced Driving Course for teens pilot program sponsored by the Youth Safety Council of Vermont to be held at the Berlin Airport the week of April 24 – 28. The program is designed to offer, at no cost, an opportunity for students, ages 15 – 17, to participate in a one-day course in Berlin to study the effectiveness of an Advanced Driver Training program. Two sessions will be conducted each day with approximately 14 students enrolled in each session. 

Students from high schools in Middlebury, Brandon, Rutland, Vergennes, Randolph, Sharon, Mt. Mansfield, Bristol, Montpelier, Hinesburg, Northfield, South Burlington and other Chittenden County schools are participating in this event.

The program will be held at the Knapp Airport in Berlin and is conducted by Stevens Advanced Driver Training. The Pilot Program is being funded by interested corporations, businesses and individuals throughout Vermont. The Vermont Association of Domestic Property and Casualty Insurance Companies is a major contributor to the study.

Co-operative Insurance Companies of Vermont, with headquarters in Middlebury, has offered this hands-on driving program to its members and to the public at large since 1997. Co-op officials indicate that the training has been extremely effective and advocates that every teenager should experience this type of training before or during the Graduated Licensing period. The company is confident that this study, coupled with its own experience, will indicate that the training compliments Vermont’s traditional Driver Education programs and will help reduce teen crashes especially for the first year driver.

The morning sessions will run from 8:00 a.m. to noon and afternoon sessions from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and will cover a variety of topics and hands-on exercises including straight-line braking with ABS brakes, steering and maneuvering in emergency situations, how to avoid tailgate collisions and presentation by experienced driving instructors on other related topics including the effects of alcohol, drugs, and being distracted on the safe operation of a motor vehicle.

According to statistics from the Vermont Department of Public Safety, 19% of all motor vehicle accidents involve drivers in the 16 –20 year old range, and 17 year-old drivers are the most likely age group to be involved in a motor vehicle crash. "Driver training means safer drivers. Since crashes are the leading cause of fatalities for the youth of our country, we encourage every young driver to take advantage of any opportunity to learn to be safer on our roads," said Jeannie Johnson, Coordinator of the Vermont Governor’s Highway Safety Program.

More information can be found at the Vermont Youth Safety Council web site at vtyouthsafetycouncil.org.

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