Skills, Judgment Develop Over Time Be Patient And Live Slower, Stepped Approach Makes Sense.

Fri., Feb. 4, 2000

By Fern Christenson fernc@spokesman.com

Few things in a teenager’s life match the exhilaration of getting a driver’s license. One minute, you’re on a sedate practice drive with Mom. Next, you’ve got your license and you’re taking friends on a joy ride. Freedom! And because you’re only 16, you are immortal.

If only it were true. Fact is, more than one-third of deaths for kids ages 16 and 17 are from automobile accidents. Too many teens are paying a much greater price than sky-high insurance premiums for their inexperience.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (1996 analysis):

Eighty two percent of fatal crashes among 16-year-olds were attributed to driver error.

Forty one percent in that age group were involved in single-car accidents.

Two out of every three teens who died as passengers were in vehicles driven by other young teenagers. The need for graduated licensing has nothing to do with how responsible a teenager is. It’s not punishment. It’s about preparedness. As it is, most new drivers are still mastering the basics of how to shift and brake and signal. When a driver hits a patch of ice or gravel, swerves to avoid an animal or maybe even a drunk driver, there’s little time to think. Split-second, life-saving avoidance maneuvers cannot be learned quickly. It takes time and practice to master driving skills. Ask any seasoned commuter about near misses they’ve had just driving to work. Be prepared for an earful about daily close encounters with idiots behind the wheel. Often, all that stands between life and death is defensive driving and quick reactions. Driver education courses provide a fine foundation. But the minimal training currently required to obtain a license simply doesn’t drive home the gravity of a motorist’s responsibility.

Restrictions on night driving and passenger limits are also excellent ideas. A new, 16-year-old driver shouldn’t be driving after midnight anyway. And peer pressure can turn even a responsible teen into a reckless spirit, driving fast with music blaring, no seat belts, maybe some alcohol - rebellion on wheels. Parents, weary of chauffeuring their kids to activities since preschool, are understandably eager to hand over the car keys. Other parents would prefer to have their child safer for a while longer. What’s another six months to a teenager? A lifetime, it seems. But the price, otherwise, just might be their lifetime.

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