It seems like teenage drivers are bound to get failing grades when it come to drivers’ education. This is according to a study that AutoWeek has conducted just recently. The results of the study were published in the magazine’s issue that was distributed last 4th of September.
Primarily, the study has had results that showed teenage drivers were more inclined towards knowing the latest trends and fads in their age group like MP3 players and downloading the latest songs. And on this line, more and more teenage drivers are less likely to focus on formal drivers’ training programs which are conducted in various locations all across the United States.
As per the article published by AutoWeek, the magazine has compared the number of lives lost in Iraq and the number of teenage lives lost on the roads. The war in Iraq took some forty one months and there were around 2,600 lives that were lost in the whole war. During that same period, there were more than 22,000 teenage drivers who were aged fifteen to nineteen years old who died while driving on the roads. The numbers are surely staggering and so are the effects that it brings to the society. It might be a good thing if the only things lost because of not being serious during drivers’ education were Volvo V40 performance parts. These could be easily replaced. However, lives cannot be brought back once it is gone.
According to Dutch Mandel, “We can point to car companies and say they should do more. We can point to legislation, and say it isn’t strict enough. We should point to ourselves and say we’re failing our kids. Car safety starts with the right attitude and with proper training.” Mandel is currently the editor and the associate publisher for AutoWeek.
The magazine further emphasizes that as grown ups and models to these young drivers, it is important to show them the real deal behind driving. A parent must be able to decide and see if their teenager is already ready to take the life behind the wheel. It is also important for guardians to assist these new drivers while they are still learning the trick of this trade.
A man that drives his car – be it a hot Ferrari or a Nissan 300ZX (with upgraded Nissan 300ZX parts) – with reckless abandon that girls swooned over him and his very attractive devil may care ways.
But that soon may change. In Sydney, that is – with the launch of an Australian road safety campaign this month linking penis size to driving behavior.
In the television and print advertisements, young women who waggle their little fingers at speeding drivers elicit a shamefaced response from crestfallen boy racers. The latest TV campaign to encourage drivers to respect speed limits also features an elderly woman using the signal, as well as other young men who are not in the driver’s seat.
The campaign has so far received mixed reviews from the Sydney-folk.
"To me, it says 'Speeding - no-one thinks big of you' and it will cause people who are speeding to think twice about the image they are creating," road safety authority spokesman John Whelan said.
The usual blood-and-gore car crash scenes, further explains Whelan, had lost their impact because of even more graphic images on the nightly news and in computer games and horror films.
Whelan also noted that according to the authority’s research, young males were becoming desensitized to the shocking images of fatal road crashes used in past Australian road safety campaigns.
In New South Wales however, state parliamentarian Andrew Fraser indicated that suggesting penis size was in inverse proportion to driving speed was not enough to change bad habits saying, "Just having a campaign that says a bloke's manhood is smaller than what he thinks it is might be funny, but in a proper education campaign you need to cover all aspects of the dangers of driving a vehicle."
The campaign apparently didn’t sit well with Harold Scuby, chairman of the Pedestrian Council, either. He said that the money would be better spent "targeting offenders by using new enforcement technologies than making the community pay for these campaigns."
The £850 million ($A2 million) campaign has been the result of widespread public concern in Sydney over a series of multiple road fatalities involving young, inexperienced male drivers still on their restricted, provisional driving licenses. Speed has been a factor in many of the recent accidents.
Sydney’s young drivers -- known as ’P platers’, will from next month have additional restrictions placed on their driving licenses including a complete ban on hands free mobile phone use in their cars as well as the exclusion of young passengers from their vehicles at night.
As a part of AAA Foundation's campaign to reduce vehicle accidents involving teen drivers ages 15 to 20, David Ragan, one of the youngest drivers in NASCAR is working in conjunction with AAA to educate teen drivers about the significance of safe driving as well as car maintenance inspection. During the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series last February, David Ragan, aged 21 finished the race obtaining the 5th spot.
David Ragan will travel in schools and other institutions across the United States to speak with youngsters and discuss the safety measures and maintenance check tips for their vehicles. Ragan will also share his safe driving techniques and demonstrate them. In fact, Ragan has already visited some high schools in Daytona Beach and in Las Vegas and performed some demo.
According to David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series: “I know the challenges young drivers face. There are a lot of temptations and distractions that can cause inexperienced drivers to loose focus. Managing the driving environment and anticipating what can happen on the road is as important for teen drivers as it is for professional race car drivers. Part of the process is being mentally prepared to drive, buckling up and thinking about the conditions under which you will be driving. It also has to do with not allowing your attention to wander from the road, anticipate turns, change lanes or know when to slow down or speed up. AAA has training materials that can help teens master these skills and become safer drivers at AAA.com.”
“In racing, we rely on trained professionals to prepare and maintain our vehicles. Teens also need to have their vehicles inspected and maintained by qualified technicians. Many young people start by driving older cars and trucks with a lot of miles on them. They need to have brakes, steering components and suspensions checked. Tires, lights, fluid lines and other items that can wear out need attention too. That’s something AAA’s Approved Auto Repair program can help them with. By driving for AAA and its 50 million members this year - and taking the opportunities they are providing to speak with teen drivers - I’m hoping I can shorten the learning curve and improve the margin of safety for people not much younger than myself.” he continued.
Meanwhile, according to a research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are mote than 300,000 teens aged 15 to 20 are injured in car crashes every year and nearly 8,000 are involved in fatal crashes. NHTSA also said that more than 3,500 teens are killed in these car crashes each year. Moreover, NHTSA also said that young drivers "are more likely to speed, run red lights, make illegal turns, and die in SUV rollover." Teen drivers should get the Jeep Patriot SUV with quality Jeep thermostat and Side Occupant Protection System to avoid injuries during rollover crashes.
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