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Teens: 'Drive safely and save your life'
(by Kathryn A. Burger - April 23, 2008)
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Staff Photo By Roy Caratozzolo
At the state’s kick-off of the ‘Don’t Drive Stupid,’ campaign aimed at teen drivers,
Park Ridge
High School juniors and seniors heard from a number of officials about the importance of driving responsibly. Pictured here are three of the guest speakers. At left, Pam Fischer, the director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety answers a reporter’s question as Park Ridge Chief of Police Joseph Madden and Councilman and Police Commission Richard Henning listen.
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Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, with drivers more likely to be involved in a crash during their first 12 to 24 months behind the wheel.
“Don’t Drive Stupid” is the state’s latest effort to raise awareness among teens and their parents about the causes of teen driver-related crashes and the Graduated Driver License (GDL) program.
Earlier this month, the Park Ridge Police Department launched the state-wide effort, having been selected from among dozens of departments that applied for and were awarded grants to fund initiatives in their jurisdictions. At an assembly at
Park Ridge
High School , juniors and seniors heard local, county and state officials each with their own message about driving safely and legally. Pam Fischer, the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety (NJDHTS) director; Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney, and Park Ridge Chief of Police Joseph Madden were among those who spoke to the teens about the importance of driving responsibly.
Fischer, who is also a member of the state’s Teen Driver Study Commission, spoke about the recently released commission report. One finding was that in 2006, there were 55,592 teen driver crashes in the state. Forty-eight teen drivers and 19 teen passengers were killed. Those statistics were among the imperatives that led to the state’s decision to implement the “Don’t Drive Stupid,” campaign. The three-week intensive enforcement and educational program that began on April 7 and ends on Friday, is designed not only to enhance the enforcement of motor vehicle laws, including seat belt use and the new hands-free cell phone use regulations, but to educate young drivers about driving responsibly and safely.
To demonstrate to the students just how dangerous risky driving behaviors are, 16 of them were asked to stand up. They were then told that 16 teen drivers are killed each day in the
The students learned that among the leading causes of teen crashes are driver inexperience, distractions, risk-taking, non-use of seat belts and alcohol and drug use.
These causative factors coupled with statistics on teen crashes and fatalities contributed to the state’s Graduated Driver License (GDL) program that went into effect in January of 2001. The program superceded the state regulations that allowed 16-year-olds to get a learner’s permit qualifying them to drive if accompanied by a licensed driver, and at 17, a full-privilege license. The GDL placed restrictions on teen drivers until the age of 18.
The GDL is designed to reduce the number of driving fatalities among teen and first-time drivers and their passengers by requiring more behind-the-wheel experience before drivers can get an unrestricted license. The Student Permit, for 16-year-olds, requires that they be accompanied by a
New Jersey licensed driver who is 21 years old or older that has been licensed for at least three years. Driving hours are restricted to 5:01 a.m. to 11 p.m. In addition, they may only have passengers from a shared household plus one additional person.
At 17, drivers who have successfully completed the requirements of the student permit, can apply for a provisional license. Driving hours are not restricted; passenger rules apply but can be waived if one of the passengers is 21 or older. If the provisional license requirements are met, a full-privilege license may be obtained at age 18.
Chief Madden explained the enforcement initiative that would be targeting seatbelt and cell phone use, as well as the laws relating to the GDL regulations. A checkpoint was in place on Wampum Road immediately after the presentation where officers spoke with young drivers and gave parents literature on the “Don’t Drive Stupid” campaign. The goal was not to write summonses, but to reinforce the information provided at the presentation and to encourage young drivers to be responsible when behind the wheel.
As the program came to an end, Councilman Richard Henning, the borough’s police commissioner, told the students that while he was a student at Park Ridge High, two of his friends had been killed in a car crash on Chestnut Ridge Road. They were on their way to pick-up their tuxedoes for the prom, he said. He told the students, “It can happen here. It did happen here.”
Lisa Sileo, a junior at Park Ridge High, and the student council representative to the district’s board of education said, “The program was a wake-up call to me, reminding me of the different regulations as a new driver. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that after this program and the warning that they will be ‘cracking down’ on teens behind the wheel, I will make sure to abide by all the rules.”
Classmate Kelsey Taormina said, “I felt that Mr. Henning’s story at the conclusion of the presentation really made a connection with the students. Most importantly, it reminded us that any of us could get in an accident and that you can’t just think, ‘nothing will happen to me.’ His comments made the whole audience completely quiet, which is evidence of the fact that it really got through to everyone. I’m glad it ended like that.”
The “Don’t Drive Stupid” campaign is a program of the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Division of Highway Traffic Safety. For more information about the campaign, visit www.nj.gov and/or www.njsaferoads.com
Kathryn A. Burger's e-mail address is burger@northjersey.com.
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