Rebels Take Part in Teen Driving Summit

With prom season getting underway across the area the importance of teaching students about the dangers of drunk driving is at a fever pitch. Recently a group of students took part in the Second Annual NJ Teen Safe Driving Summit. 

Representing Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) attended the event in Freehold earlier this month as part of Global youth Traffic Safety Month. There were students from 14-to-16-years old in attendance as well as parents, educators and safety advocates according to Pam Fischer the leader of the NJ Teen Safe Driving Coalition.

Fischer said the purpose of the program is to help educate teens about the steps of getting a drivers license and "learn how to leverage it to build skill and improve their safety."

The Howell students led a workshop during the event focusing on "the impact drugs and alcohol have on the ability to safely operate a motor vehicle," Fischer added. 

Even with changes in the laws for getting a license Fischer said car crashes are still the number one cause of death for teens between 16 and 20. She said statistics have shown that, "a teen driver crashes every 10 minutes in the state." In 2010 that amounted to 43,414 crashes involving drivers in that age range  with 33 teens dying in crashes according to Fischer. 

The total number of crashes, Fischer said, is down by more than 50 percent since the state changed its laws for getting a license in 2001. She added that more than 700 teens have died on New Jersey roads in the past decade.

The SADD students, she said, provided a valuable lesson at the conference. "While teens recognize the danger of drinking and driving, many teens don't consider drugs such as marijuana a distraction do their driving," she said of a study performed by SADD and insurance company Liberty Mutual.

Another part of the day included a demonstration where the students attempted to drive a golf cart while sending and receiving text messages. The course was set up by the New Jersey State Police and was designed to show the dangers associated with doing those activities simultaneously.

"Distraction and inattention are the number one cause of teen crashes in New Jersey and under the state's GDL (Graduated Drivers License) program, novice drivers may not use hand-held or hands-free electronic devices," Fischer said.

Representing Howell High School were Julie Brennan, Alex Doyle, Tina McKee, Samantha Schon and Danielle Lescrinier. The program is sponsored by the New Jersey Teen Safe Driving Coalition thanks to a grant from the Allstate Foundation.