Susan Buckley, Branch Director Barbara Howe, Deputy Branch Director Ann Lindsay, MD, Health Officer

Safe Roads Ahead

for Humboldt County Teens

Safe Driving Tips

Vehicle Maintenance

• Prepare your car for night driving.  Clean headlights, taillights, signal lights and windows (inside and out) once a week and more often if necessary.
• Maintain proper tire pressure.
• Get regular oil changes.
• Secure loose items in your trunk.  All items not secured will bounce around in the vehicle if a crash occurs.

In Bad Weather

• Reduce speed in foggy, rainy, or snowy weather.
• Straight line braking.  No sudden turning.

On Rural Roads

• Reduce speed on rural winding roads or roads you are unfamiliar with.
• Exercise extreme caution when passing or overtaking other vehicles on a two-lane roadway.

Seat Belt Use

• One unbelted person can seriously injure or kill other people inside the car if a crash occurs.  Buckle up every person in the vehicle!
• A seat belt is designed to keep you in your seat and distribute the force of the collision along the strongest parts of your body.

Report Drunk Drivers:  Call 911

• Clues to Spot a Drunk Driver  

  • Weaving/swerving in and out of the lane
  • Travelling at speeds much slower than the flow of traffic
  • Braking erratically or stopping in the lane
  • Sudden stops for signal lights and slow start once they change
  • Making wide turns and/or cutting the corner striking the curb
  • Headlights off at night or on high beams
  • Straddling the center line of the road or lane lines
  • Aggressive driving such as speeding, tailgating, unsafe passing, unsafe lane changes

• How to Report a Drunk Driver  

  • Call 911 and tell them you wish to report a suspected drunk driver.  You do not have to give your name.
  • Give a complete description of the vehicle such as make, model, color and license plate number.
  • Give the exact location of the vehicle, including the name of the road, cross streets, and the direction of travel.
  • Describe the manner in which the vehicle in being driven.
  • Do not try to stop the car or detain the driver.  Leave that to a law enforcement officer.

General Tips

• Always drive sober and alert.
• Secure your phone in a safe place and do not answer it while you are driving.
• Refrain from driving if you are upset or tired.
• Keep both hands on the wheel.
• Scan the area constantly.
• Keep a high visual horizon.
• Be cautious at intersections.
• Straight line braking.  No sudden turning.
• Always drive defensively and avoid making assumptions about what other drivers are going to do on the road.

Common Causes of Car Crashes

75% of teen crashes are due to three “critical errors”:

• Lack of scanning needed to detect and respond to hazards
• Going too fast for road conditions
• Being distracted by something inside or outside the vehicle
  Source:  Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2011

Unsafe Speed

• Speeding is a factor in 40% of all teen driver fatalities.  Unsafe speed is the leading cause of crashes involving young drivers.
  Source:  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Speeding results in:

• Increased stopping distance
• Reduced reaction time
• Increased risk of injury or death if a crash occurs
• More difficult to control vehicle
• Little time savings
  Source:  California Highway Patrol

Situations in which you should reduce your speed:

• Bad weather- rain, fog, high winds, snow, ice
• When approaching a curve in the road
• On downhill grades
• At intersections
• In heavy traffic
• In construction work zones

Fatigue/Drowsy Driving

• Being awake for 18 hours is similar to having a BAC level of 0.08, which is legally drunk.
  Source:  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• ¾ of teens report having seen other teens driving noticeably tired.
  Source:  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Drivers younger than age 25 cause the majority of drowsy driving-related crashes.
  Source:  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Teens need 8.5-9.25 hours of sleep each night.
  Source:  National Sleep Foundation
• Being tired causes both physical and cognitive impairments:
  • Coordination
  • Reaction Time
  • Judgment
  • Ability to concentrate

Impaired Driving

• Young drivers are less likely than adults to drink and drive, but their crash risk is substantially higher when they do, even with low or moderate blood alcohol levels.
  Source:  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Even a small amount of alcohol will impair your reaction time behind the wheel.
• The probability of a fatal crash increases steadily with increasing driver BAC.
  Source:  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

• How Alcohol Affects Driving

  • Relaxes the eye muscles which means you are more likely to miss objects in your field of vision
  • Affects your ability to focus.  Objects can become blurry and more difficult to recognize.
  • Affects your ability to judge distance.
  • Reduces your ability to see at night.
  • Makes it more difficult for your eyes to recover from exposure to bright light.

Distracted Driving

• Inexperience combined with distractions is lethal behind the wheel.
  Source:  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• A driver who talks on a cell phone is four times more likely to be involved in a serious crash, regardless of whether it’s hands-free.
  Source:  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Distracted driving impairs your reaction time to respond to unexpected emergencies.

Passengers

• 2/3 of teens who die are passengers of teen drivers.
  Source:  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Two or more peer passengers more than triples the risk of a fatal crash with a teen at the wheel.
  Source:  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Crash risk is directly proportional to the number of teenaged passengers being transported.
  Source:  American Academy of Pediatrics, Journal of Safety Research

Driving at Night

• The fatal crash rate of 16 year-olds is nearly twice as high at night.
  Source:  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
• Among teen nighttime crashes, 58 percent happen between 9 pm and midnight.
  Source:  Journal of Injury Prevention
• Young teenaged drivers (16 and 17 year-olds) have a higher rate of nighttime crashes than do drivers of any other age group.
  Source:  American Academy of Pediatrics
• 90% of a driver’s reaction depends on vision and vision is severely limited at night.  The following aspects of vision are compromised in the dark:
  • Depth perception
  • Visual acuity
  • Color recognition
  • Peripheral vision
    Source:  National Safety Council
• It is more difficult to judge other vehicle’s speeds and distances at night.  Reduce your speed and increase your following distances.
  Source:  National Safety Council

California Laws

Graduated Driver’s License

Provisional License Restrictions for Teens (Vehicle Code 12814.6)

Stage 1: Learner’s Permit

Must be at least 15 yrs, 6 months
Must pass vision & written test
Must have completed a driver education course
Must complete 50 hours of driving practice, including 10 at night
Permit must be held for at least six months
Must maintain clean driving record

Stage 2:  Provisional License

Must be at least 16 yrs old and under 18 yrs old
Must complete behind the wheel training and pass on-road test
May drive with no adult present
No passengers under age 20 for 1st 12 months, unless a licensed driver aged 25 or older is present
No driving between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM for first 12 months unless a licensed driver 25 or older is present
Must be held for at least 12 months, or until age 18
Must maintain clean driving record

Stage 3:  Full License

Must have no outstanding DMV or court restrictions
May drive without restrictions

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d06/vc12509.htm

Cell Phones/Texting

No phone call or text is worth a life; driving requires your full attention.
Hands free or not, your crash risk quadruples when you talk on the phone while driving.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws 

Underage Drinking

What is the Zero Tolerance Law? Anyone under the age of 21 operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01% or above will be cited. DMV will suspend your license for 1 to 3 years, penalize you 2 points, and will now show an alcohol conviction for 13 years.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/teenweb/crazy_btn3/tolerance.htm 

Seat Belt Laws

Seat belts are mandatory and are designed to save your life. Buckle Up Humboldt, every trip, every time.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc27315.htm 
http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/buckleup.html 

Helmet Laws- Motorcycle & Bicycle

Motorcycle Helmet use- Many collisions result in head injuries. All operators and passengers are required by law to wear a motorcycle safety helmet when riding a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or motorized bicycle.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl655/mcycle_htm/preparing.htm 
Youth Bicycle Helmets use:  A person under 18 years of age shall not operate a bicycle, a non-motorized scooter, or a skateboard, nor shall they wear in-line or roller skates, nor ride upon a bicycle, a non-motorized scooter, or a skateboard as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway or any other public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21212.htm 

Parents Page

Tips for Parents

Teaching Your Teen to Drive

1. Your teen watches how you drive.  Set a good example.
2. Practice behind the wheel as much as possible, including night driving and driving in bad weather conditions
3. Enforce the graduated driver’s license provisions in your home for the first year that your teen has a license.  No passengers under age 20 unless a licensed driver 25 or older is present, and no driving between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am.
4. Hold onto the keys.  For that first year of driving, gradually introduce new privileges and use the keys as a point of contact to find out where they are going, who they are going with, and when they will be back.
5. Teach your teen how to “scan” for hazards.  Remind your new driver to keep a “high visual horizon” and to scan the area ahead, behind, and around the car at all times.
6. It may help to discuss goals with your teen and list them out in the form of a parent/teen driving agreement.  Sample formats for these agreements are available through most auto insurance providers.

Driving Resources for Parents & Teens

Road Ready Teens:  Daimler-Chrysler

http://www.roadreadyteens.org 

A web-based program sponsored by DaimlerChrysler, in coordination with AAA, MADD, and the National Safety Council.

A Parent’s Guide to Safely Ease Teens Into Driving (Includes Teen-Parent Driving Contract)

National Safety Council

http://www.nsc.org   Search: Safe Teen Driving 

http://www.distraction.gov/faces/index.html  Faces of Distracted Driving  

Articles on teen driving issues

“Teen Driver: A Family Guide to Teen Driver Safety” – This guide assists parents in managing their teen’s journey from beginner to independent driver. The guide also provides a written parent/teen driving agreement to help define driving restrictions, rules and consequences.

“Alive at 25 Parent Program online training” – free enrollment
Through this two-hour online program, parents will learn how to reinforce basic driving skills and good decision-making that can help teens become safe, responsible drivers.

California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

http://www.dmv.ca.gov 

Comprehensive information for teen drivers about the safety hazards associated with driving, especially among new drivers.  The site also provides details on obtaining a permit or license and the graduated driver licensing restrictions.

Parent-Teen Training Guide available online, 26 pages, PDF or at your local DMV office.

2 videos available for online viewing

Videos are located here: (or teen tab from main page)

http://dmv.ca.gov/teenweb/ 

GEICO- Teen Driving

http://www.geico.com/information/safety/auto/teendriving/ 

http://www.geico.com/information/safety/auto/teendriving/can-i-borrow-the-car/    A look at the consequences of inexperience and overconfidence in teenagers on the road. Watch the video, with real life cases of what happens when you mix teens with a lack of safety. 

Top 10 Tips for Preventing Teen Accidents

Videos “Real Teen Driving”, “Graduated License”, and “Teen Driving Statistics- The Truth” available for online viewing

Informational brochures available for download on this page:

California Highway Patrol:  Start Smart Program

http://www.chp.ca.gov/community/startsmart.html 

A basic driver safety class taught by CHP officers.  Teens aged 15-19 attend the program with their parent(s) or guardian and learn about collision risk and avoidance and safe driving practices geared particularly toward teens.  Start Smart also appeals to teens emotionally using live testimonials by people who have lost loved ones in traffic collisions.

Humboldt Area Highway Patrol Office:  707-822-5981

Liberty Mutual

http://www.libertymutual.com/ and click on link “Teen Driving” at bottom of page. 

Guiding teens and parents through the teen driving process- from start to finish.

Website also includes a decision driving video, driving tips for safe driving, a driving test sample quiz, and information on teen auto insurance. Find out what effect texting has on driving ability and other resources.

Every 15 Minutes

http://www.every15minutes.com 

A two-day program that challenges high school juniors and seniors to consider the consequences of drinking and driving.  The program involves students, parents, teachers, police officers and emergency medical personnel in a dramatization of the aftermath of a fatal alcohol-related car crash.

Driving Skills for Life

http://www.drivingskillsforlife.com 

Ford Motor Company in collaboration with the Governors Highway Safety Association has developed multimedia educational materials for students, parents, and instructors.  Driving Skills for Life focuses on 4 key driving skills:  hazard recognition, vehicle handling, speed management and space management.  The free program compliments traditional driver education with their website, videos and interactive exercises.

You’re Essential to Safety (Y.E.S.) Program

http://www.farmers.com/parents_yes.html  Click on “Auto” link 

Farmers Insurance Group sponsors the Y.E.S. program which includes a free video available for online viewing and an online road book called “Wrecked” with safe driving guidelines and tips.  Also contains safety brochures available for download.

Teaching Your Teen to Drive

http://www.metlife.com/assets/ah/auto-insurance/teaching-your-teen-to-drive.pdf?SCOPE=Metlife 

MetLife Auto & Home provides the free handbook “Teaching Your Teen To Drive” and other resources for parents teaching their teens to drive.  MetLife also encourages safe driving by offering discount rewards to insured teens who maintain a clean driving record.

Allstate

http://www.allstateteendriver.com/parents/ 

Under Your Influence Program. 81% of teens said it’s you they follow. Connect with other parents of teens and share your safe driving experiences, triumphs, and lessons learned in Allstate's
Good Hands Community. Here are some discounts your teen may be eligible for: 

Multi-Line Discount, Good Student, Passive Restraint Systems, Anti-Lock Brakes, Anti-Theft Devices, and Defensive Driver Discount.

Games including Drive’n Lessons; Street Sleuth; and Allstate Great Race

Online Games

Gauging Your Distraction (online game)
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/19/technology/20090719-driving-game.html 

New studies show that drivers overestimate their ability to multitask behind the wheel. This game measures how your reaction time is affected by external distractions. Regardless of your results, experts say, you should not attempt to text when driving.