Call to keep teens from being distracted behind wheel
Editor's note: This is another story in an occasional series about the epidemic of distracted driving and efforts to curb it.
Andrea Hail is a lucky statistic. In 2004, the Libertyville 16-year-old made a quick exit from a fast-food restaurant, right into the path of a pickup truck. The occupants of the truck were unscathed, but Hail, who was driving a tiny coupe, broke her arm and required surgery for a brain injury. “It took a long time to accept it was my fault,” said Hail, who is now 23 and volunteers with the HEARTS Network, a coalition of teen crash survivors and victims. “I didn't look as carefully as I should have. It's an experience thing.”
Teenagers are among the most at-risk drivers in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, and vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for adolescents.
Distractions such as friends in the car or electronic devices, inexperience, sleep deprivation and alcohol all contribute to the deadly trend.
That's why safety advocates, including local teenagers, are calling for a nationwide system of graduated driver's licenses and tougher standards in Illinois, which already has a stringent GDL law.
It may seem easy, but “learning to drive is difficult,” said David Teater, senior director of strategic initiatives at the Itasca-based National Safety Council.
“You can dramatically reduce crashes and fatalities through graduated driver's licenses. It restricts high-risk situations for novice drivers.”
The prevalence of electronic devices not available a decade ago adds urgency to calls for change.
“Teens now receive a cellphone before they start driving,” said Laura Saldivar, a senior-to-be at Jacobs High School in Algonquin and member of the National Distracted Driving Prevention Leadership Team.
“My friends have all had one since they were little and think they're able to do both (drive and talk).”
Research shows, however, that nearly 5,500 people died in distracted-driving-related crashes in 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And that's not the only disturbing statistic.
Ÿ Vehicle crashes take the lives of about 11 adolescents daily, and killed 4,054 between the ages of 13 and 19.
Ÿ One in five distracted-driving-linked deaths involves a cellphone. Nearly 50 percent of teens admit texting is a distraction while driving, and 82 percent say they use a cellphone while driving, the Allstate Foundation reports.
Ÿ Texting while driving increases the risk of a crash by 23 times; one text can have the impact of drinking four beers, according to studies by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the University of Utah.
Threats to young drivers aren't just technical, however. A car full of teens chatting, arguing over music choices or horsing around can be hazardous, experts say. The risk of a crash is three to five times greater with multiple passengers than when a teenager is driving alone.
Illinois bans texting while behind the wheel and prohibits young drivers from using cellphones. The state's graduated driver's license policy imposes restrictions on nighttime driving and passengers, and phases in licensing by requiring a learner's permit and intermediate stages.
The Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection — the STANDUP Act — was introduced in the U.S. House in April. It would mandate phased-in licensing, limit nighttime driving and passengers, and ban electronic devices until drivers turn 18.
After Illinois instituted tighter license standards, “we saw a 40 percent decrease in teen driving deaths,” said U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren. the lead Republican co-sponsor of STANDUP.
Hultgren's 17-year-old son is going through the licensing process. “He's a better driver than I was at his age” because of the tougher standards, the Winfield Republican said.
If the STANDUP Act passes, it would penalize states that don't institute graduated driver's licenses by withholding highway funding.
“It does not take any work of driver's licensing or oversight from states,” Hultgren said.
If the act is adopted, Illinois teens would need to be 16 instead of 15 before obtaining a learner's permit. It also would tighten current policy by banning more than one passenger younger than 21 who is not a family member — unless a licensed driver older than 21 is in the vehicle — for the entire intermediate stage through age 17. Illinois law now limits it to one nonfamilial passenger younger than 20.
All states have some form of graduated driver's licenses, but the standards vary greatly. A tough, standardized rule can save lives, advocates say. Overall, graduated driver's license system cut teens' crash risk by 20 percent to 40 percent, according to the National Safety Council.
“The biggest killer of teens is road fatalities,” Allstate Insurance Deputy General Counsel Brian Vainisi said. “This is an opportunity to cut that down — let's do it.”
Parents with kids of driving age are fortunate in Illinois, because the graduated driver's license gives them the tools to set ground rules, experts say.
AAA advises families to establish a parent-teen driving agreement and adhere to it — particularly during summer when adolescents can be without adult supervision. Research shows that more teens die in traffic crashes in the United States during summer — 422 a month — compared to the rest of the year — 363 a month.
“We encourage parents to be role models and drive like they would want their teen to drive,” AAA spokeswoman Beth Mosher said. “Studies tell us that parents who wear seat belts more often will have teens who wear seat belts.”
When she sees teenagers behaving recklessly, Jennifer Cottrell doesn't let it go. She often pursues careless drivers and warns them.
The advice usually goes down well after Cottrell tells them her 17-year-old sister died in 1997 when another teenager crashed a borrowed Corvette they were riding in.
“One simple decision can affect the rest of your life negatively,” Cottrell said.
The Crystal Lake resident also volunteers with the HEARTS Network.
“She was a good student, smart, sensible, National Honors Society. I'm sure my sister never once thought ‘I'll become a statistic tonight.' She made one wrong choice.”
Teens aged 16 and 17 are the most likely age group to crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“I wasn't someone who thought I was invincible or reckless,” crash survivor Hail said. “I'd always considered myself safe.”