News Bloghttp://www.njteendriving.comFri, 18 May 2012 11:28:39 GMTFri, 30 Mar 2012 18:41:29 GMTMiles to Gohttp://www.njteendriving.com/miles-to-goFri, 30 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMTCHOP PhiladelphiaMiles to Go is an annual report series from the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm Insurance Companies® that monitors teen driver statistics and trends, providing a yearly snapshot of teen driver safety for the nation.

In the first baseline report, Miles to go: Establishing Benchmarks for Teen Driver Safety (January 24, 2011), we established 11 key indicators as a framework to measure the impact of teen driver safety policy and programs in the United States, with a goal of continually improving these indicators.
In Miles to go: Monitoring Progress in Teen Driver Safety, we highlight substantial progress made in reducing crashes involving teens behind the wheel between 2005 and 2010. Although this is good news to report, crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens, killing nearly five times as many 15- to 19-year-olds as cancer or poisoning in 2009. Moreover, from among more than 55,000 teen drivers and their passengers seriously injured each year in 2009 and 2010, 30 percent suffered injuries to the head, including skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries [TBI].

In this year’s report we also present significant variation in fatality rates among states – ranging from a low of 3.9 deaths per 100,000 teens in motor vehicle crashes in Massachusetts to a high of 29.1 deaths per 100,000 teens in Montana. In this variation there is opportunity for the U.S. to further reduce teen driver deaths, mainly through comprehensive Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws and primary enforcement seat belt laws. Please read and share this report with your colleagues and continue to push for positive change.

Hear from one remarkable teen and her parents on how she’s recovering from a severe brain injury caused by a prom night crash.

Watch a brief video from the report's lead author explaining the findings.

Access video and PDF file of Dr. Flaura Winston’s testimony to Congress on traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Download the report.
Take a closer look at the report's facts and stats.
Download last year’s report.

Further reading:


]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/miles-to-go2011 a lethal year on New Jersey's roadways, as 635 lose their liveshttp://www.njteendriving.com/2011lethalyearTue, 03 Jan 2012 06:00:00 GMTChristopher BaxterTRENTON — Deaths on New Jersey’s roadways hit a four-year high in 2011.

There were 594 fatal accidents on the state’s highways, main streets and back roads resulting in 635 deaths last year, the most since 2007, according to State Police statistics as of Friday.

The majority of those who died, 371, were behind the wheel, followed by 144 pedestrians, 103 passengers and 17 bicyclists, the statistics show.

The most fatal accidents and total deaths occurred in Middlesex County. The most pedestrians died in Essex County, the most passengers in Atlantic County and the most bicyclists in Ocean County. Victims of fatal accidents were most often from 50 to 64 years old, the State Police said.

Sgt. Brian Polite, a spokesman for the State Police, said the statistics were troubling, and that people needed to protect themselves. "One of the things we always talk about is using seat belts," Polite said. "That’s one thing we see as a big contributor to fatal accidents."

A survey released in August by the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety found that 94.51 percent of front-seat drivers and passengers wore seat belts. That’s up from 93.73 percent in 2010. In 1986, the first year the survey was conducted, only 35 percent wore them.

Sixty-one percent of all passengers in the backseat strapped in, up from 48 percent the previous year, but still too low considering a law went into effect in 2010 requiring all passengers to buckle up, the survey said. Adults in the backseat wore seat belts only 35 percent of the time.

Polite also said drivers are often distracted by hand-held cell phones and text messages that take their eyes off the road and often mean the split-second difference between a crash and a close call.

"Driving while operating a mobile device is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated," Polite said.

Polite also said the number of pedestrian fatalities continues to concern the State Police.

He said people need to use sidewalks and crosswalks, and when people are out drinking, consider staying put or taking a cab rather than walking home drunk.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/2011lethalyearFatal flaw in teen driving billhttp://www.njteendriving.com/fatal-flaw-in-teen-driving-billThu, 01 Dec 2011 06:00:00 GMTJohn Cichowski - The Raod WarriorParents will have to work a little harder to get teens with learner driving permits to qualify for licenses under a bill sent to the Assembly this week.

According to bill A-3309, mom or dad would have to learn about New Jersey's Graduated Driver License laws — legislation designed to minimize the dangers inherent in being 16, inexperienced and more crash-prone than any other driving age group. So, kudos to the members of the Assembly Transportation Committee who recognized the wisdom of insisting that parents learn as much about teen driving safety as their kids.

Too bad committee members chickened out by failing to make parents work a bit harder.

Under a late revision, the only requirement for mom and dad would be to learn about GDL online. The original bill demanded more for 16-year-olds to qualify for learner's permits. As proposed by the Governor's Teen Driver Study Commission, it would have required parents to sit in on one driver's ed orientation with their kids to learn how GDL offers them an excellent opportunity to reach their 20s.

In other words, the original bill called for family dialogue.

As in learning why GDL restrictions are necessary. (Crashes kill more young people than any disease.) As in why it's dangerous to pile friends in a car. (Passengers double or triple teen crash potential.) As in why driving after curfew is a bad idea. (Nightfall pushes crash potential way up.) As in why the required red GDL bumper decal provides safety. (How else can police distinguish between a GDL violator and a youthful-looking adult?) Will parents, the role models with the most sway over teen driving, really engage their kids based on an online presentation?

"Most parents will do what's beneficial for their children," said Committee Chairman John Wisnewski, D-Middlesex.

Really? Parents cried foul when summoned to similar pilot programs in school districts from Morris to Monmouth — until they attended a session. "Mandatory attendance was brilliant," e-mailed one Morris Hills High School parent who initially objected to such "nanny-state" intervention. "When given the opportunity, otherwise good parents will take the easy way out," said Denville Police Chief Chris Wagner, who read the e-mail to the committee. "To be effective, this needs a real emotional connection."

As with sports? "Think of all the football kickoff dinners that parents go to," said Donna Weeks, whose teen daughter, Kyleigh D'Alessio, was killed in a teen-driven car. "The dinners are longer than the orientations."

No one answered when Pam Fischer, who headed the governor's teen driving commission,asked who would pay for an interactive online site. Committee members seemed to hold their noses when voting.Perhaps they were recalling how an earlier parental orientation bill died in the state Senate Transportation Committee. Chairman Nicholas Sacco, assistant schools superintendent in North Bergen, detests nanny-state bills. This time, a bill calling for family dialogue is pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee, although it could be sent to Sacco's committee.

Parents and educators sometimes have short memories, but maybe not this time. Like Kyleigh D'Alessio, another teen — Rebeka Verea of Cliffside Park — was killed in a teen-driven car in North Bergen in 2005. Her father, a doctor whose foundation informs teens about driving risks, supports the Senate bill.

Perhaps Rebeka's Law, as it should be known in the Senate, will inspire more parents than its weak sister in the Assembly.

Road Warrior runs Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. E-mail: cichowski@northjersey.com

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/fatal-flaw-in-teen-driving-billSINGER: Law paved safer highway for teen drivershttp://www.njteendriving.com/singerlawpavedThu, 13 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMTAPPAs the sponsor of the Graduated Driver’s License law in New Jersey, originally introduced in the Legislature more than 10 years ago, I feel I played an instrumental role in pushing for a safer path for new teen drivers to obtain a driver’s license.

In the years it took to draft the bill, I had worked with, and sought input from, relevant and knowledgeable agencies such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving ( MADD); the state Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Highway Traffic Safety; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; Association of Police Chiefs; American Automobile Association (AAA), and other governmental agencies and highway safety advocacy organizations, as well as concerned private citizens throughout the state.

After the initial introduction of the Graduated Driver’s License legislation, before it became law, it took years to mold the bill so that it would support its mission, to protect young and inexperienced drivers and give them the skills they need.

The time was spent scrutinizing statistics, research and evidence from this state and all over the country. It was a concerted effort that molded the original lifesaving measure known as the GDL.

We also sought the help of parents, as it was a mother who had just lost her teenage daughter, a new driver, and in her quest to spare another mother from grieving, that inspired me to go forth to advocate for this statute.

The graduated system, designed to eliminate flaws in the state’s licensing process, has already proven itself to be a successful initiative, but it is an ongoing process.

Though it is already credited with helping reduce deaths involving teen drivers to historic lows, each year the GDL effort grows to support the mission for which it was created.

Certainly, the graduated license may not address all factors. There will always be unforeseeable or uncontrollable hazardous distractions such as road and weather conditions and even human conditions such as illness or risky behavior on the road.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/singerlawpavedN.J. community grieves after 4 teens killed in crashhttp://www.njteendriving.com/nj-community-grievesMon, 22 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMTAPLINWOOD, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey high school and its community were grappling Sunday with a hard reality: four players on their local football team were dead and four others were injured in an SUV crash on the way to a team meal.   The driver, 17-year-old Case Brenner of Northfield, apparently lost control of the vehicle late Saturday morning as it went around a crest on the Garden State Parkway and came upon heavy traffic, said Sgt. Julian Castellanos, a state police spokesman.

The SUV overturned several times, ejecting two passengers, one of whom was struck by a passing car, Castellanos said.

All eight teenagers played for the Mainland Regional High School football team in Linwood. They ranged in age from 15 to 17.

The crash hung heavy over the community Sunday, where filling bleachers at the school's Friday night games is part of life every fall. The Mustangs have won six state championships, including five since Bob Coffey became head coach in 1986.

Before the crash, perhaps the greatest trial for the team came when it had to forfeit four games last year for using a player who transferred from another school and suited up without all the proper paperwork in place.

The victims' teammates planned to don game jerseys for the first time with their names stitched above the numbers to attend an evening vigil Sunday. And they expected to be together for funerals in the coming days.

Coffey said he'd look for direction from his players, but expected that practices would move ahead — in some form. But two scrimmages scheduled for this week were canceled.

"My gut feeling is that we live for the moment," he said. "As a coach and kids, you've got to take care of what's in front of you right now." Brenner was killed, as were Dean Khoury of Linwood, 15; and two 16-year-olds, Edgar Bozzi of Somers Point and Nicholas Conner of Northfield. Coffey said Brenner was competing to be the starting tight end, Bozzi was likely to get playing time as a linebacker, Khoury was working hard after Coffey nearly kicked him off the team for missing a practice, and Conner was one of the team's most enthusiastic special-teams players.

"All four of them were so happy, doing so well," said Coffey, who lives a few blocks from the high school in a spacious house where his players often gather.

Superintendent Thomas Baruffi described the four players who died as good students, good athletes and well-liked.

At Khoury's family's home in Linwood, the driveway and street were packed with relatives' cars. Many in the family were crying, including his mother, Denise Khoury.

"He was the boy who made everybody smile," she said.

The injured included two Linwood residents, 17-year-old Jacob Smith and 15-year-old Kenneth Randall, and two 16-year-old Northfield residents, Kyle Beattie and Alex Denafo.

Coffey said everyone except Smith was home from the hospital by Sunday afternoon, and Smith was expected home soon.

State police continued to investigate and had not released details on how fast the SUV was moving before the crash or whether the occupants were wearing seatbelts. Under New Jersey state law, drivers under 18 generally are not allowed to carry more than one passenger unless a parent or guardian is in the vehicle.

Brenner was driving his teammates to meet other players at the Old Country Buffet in Mays Landing, one of several places players often go to eat. Neighborhoods in Linwood, Northfield and Somers Point — the tree-lined bedroom communities to Atlantic City— were quiet Sunday. The school serves all three.

A half-dozen high school students, friends of the deceased, ate lunch at Linwood Bagel, across from the school stadium. No one was giggling or guffawing as they ate, and the students didn't want to speak to an Associated Press reporter.

Mainland Mustangs' football field was still. A solitary jogger looped the track. Tackling dummies in the nearby practice field stood undisturbed. In the evening, a candlelight vigil was scheduled at the stadium. Baruffi said giving people a place to come together and grieve was one thing the school could do to help. He said he's been through student deaths before, but has never lost multiple students at the same time.

"They're always tragic," he said. "You know there's nothing you can say or do that's enough."

He said he hoped the tragedy would make the school community stronger and closer. But "this is never a sacrifice you want to make," he added. The team's first game is scheduled for Sept. 9, three days before the school year begins for Mainland's 1,600 students

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/nj-community-grievesLETTER: Share the road with motorcycleshttp://www.njteendriving.com/share-the-roadThu, 28 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMTRaymond Martinez
And as the days get warmer, more motorcycle riders will no doubt be out on the roadways. I know it is sometimes difficult for motorists to see motorcyclists, but simple precautions can be taken to avoid any mishaps. Before switching lanes, remember to double check your side and rearview mirrors to ensure that everything is clear. And before making a turn at an intersection, give an extra look to each side just to make sure nothing is coming your way.

There’s no denying motorcycle riders are more vulnerable in their vehicle of choice than those who drive cars or trucks. It’s simply the design of the machinery. But that’s where the difference stops because people who ride motorcycles are no different than you and me. They are our fathers, our mothers, our sons and our daughters.

May is national Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and I would like to remind all motorists who travel our roadways to be alert to the nearly 160,000 motorcycles that are registered in New Jersey. So this month, and every day, let’s all safely share the road with motorcycles.

For more information about sharing the road with motorcycles and about the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission’s Motorcycle Safety Education Program, please visit our website at njridesafe.org.

Raymond P. Martinez, Chief Administrator, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/share-the-roadNovice errors, not rage, causes most teen road deathshttp://www.njteendriving.com/novice-errorsMon, 25 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMTJohn Cichowski - The Raod Warrior
In 30 seconds, you'll hear engines hum, tires squeal and brakes screech. And If you're past 40, you'll know – you'll positively, definitely, absolutely know – that the main reason that kids are killed in cars at a rate four times greater than we are is that they're too aggressive behind the wheel.

And you would be wrong.

A recent study of fatal teen crashes showed that common driving errors – generally related to a lack of experience – contributed most to serious crashes. And at 21 percent, the leading error was failure to scan the traffic ahead. Another big error was the one that trips us all up, regardless of age: Distraction – either from something inside or outside the car — contributes to 20 percent of serious teen crashes.

Researchers for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Center for Injury Research and Prevention concluded that aggression, poor weather and drowsiness were not primary factors in most teen collisions.

"This study helps dispel the myth that most teen crashes are due to aggressive driving or thrill-seeking," said lead researcher Allison Curry, Ph.D. "Promoting safe driving skills is as important as preventing problem behaviors."

Chief among these skills is scanning ahead of immediate traffic and looking side to side to anticipate trouble before it occurs. Scanning is considered a higher-level skill that's developed over time, so driving schools generally don't spend much time on it during the six hours of instruction mandated by state law for young driver-permit holders.

"The emphasis at too many driving schools is to get kids through training as quickly and as cheaply as possible," said Pam Fischer, a traffic safety consultant who formerly ran the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety. "Teens would probably be better drivers if the emphasis was on more intensive training."

Instead of training, Fischer's tenure in the traffic safety division produced several teen driving reforms that emphasized law-enforcement.

New Jersey's 10-year-old Graduated Driver License law, for example, now requires young probationary drivers to carry no more than one teen passenger unless an adult is in the car, and a red bumper decal now identifies drivers who have not yet completed the GDL training phase. The decal probably contributed to the decline in teen traffic deaths in New Jersey. Seventeen teen drivers were killed during the nearly 12 months since the new laws took effect May 1 compared to the 36 teen drivers killed in 2009, the last full year under former GDL standards.

Likewise, tickets for GDL violations approach 1,300 monthly under the decal reform compared to 900 prior to reform. Presumably, police can more easily spot GDL violators now because of the red teen identifier, the first of its kind in the nation.

But now that enforcement has been stepped up, is it time to concentrate on driver training?

"Absolutely," Fischer said, "but it's hard to convince parents that it's needed."

"Parents will spend thousands on their kids' tennis lessons and hockey camps," said Dan Gaskill, president of the Driving School Association of America, "but they rarely want to put much money into driving lessons."

Nearly all high schools gave up behind-the-wheel driver training more than 20 years ago. The great majority of formal training is now conducted by 200 driving schools sprinkled throughout the state, including Gaskill's Princeton Driving School in Mercer and Hunterdon counties. The cost for six hours of training to meet state requirements generally runs from $250 to $500.

If road safety advocates had their way, the requirement would be boosted to 10 or 12 hours. Modest additional training wouldn't turn most teens into highly proficient drivers, Gaskill said, but it could enable them to focus on more sophisticated driving techniques, such as scanning.

The real challenge, Fischer said, is to show parents the importance of getting as much involved in their kids' driver training as they are in their overall education.

Two bills now in committee are designed to do that. One would require parents or guardians to log 50 hours of practice driving time with their teens before they can take road tests to obtain licenses. Another would require parents to attend high school driver-ed orientation courses with their children.

"When parents attend these classes, they're often surprised by the lessons they learn," Fischer said.

One of those lessons: "Crashes kill more teens than anything else," she said, "and a good way to prevent fatal crashes is training." Learn more at northjersey.com/gdl.]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/novice-errorsWork sites pose big traffic Safety Challengehttp://www.njteendriving.com/work-sites-pose1Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMTJohn Cichowski, The Road Warrior
These guys and gals share ranks with the 600 to 700 who are killed nationwide each year in work-site road crashes that claim motorists, cops, pedestrians and others — 10 of whom died on New Jersey roadways in 2009, according to grisly statistics compiled by the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse.

"We've got at least 200 highway and bridge projects like this one going on throughout the state," Deputy Transportation Commissioner Joseph Mrozek told reporters in North Brunswick on Tuesday as workers behind him continued a $24.1 million rehabilitation project on a Route 1 overpass. "Luckily, we've had only a few fender benders here."

But luck doesn't always hold, so Mrozek's offered this simple message as he kicked off National Work Zone Awareness Week on a day so windy and rainy that taillights and orange barrels became a streaky windshield blur: Slow down at work sites to make it safer for everyone, including "our friends and neighbors who work there."

Ray Martinez had an even stronger message:

"Things are getting real complicated on our highways," said the Motor Vehicle Commission's chief administrator. "Traffic patterns are changing and roads are being closed, so we all have to remain focused on the road, not on food or electronic gadgets like cellphones. Ultimate responsibility rests with drivers."

New Jersey is one of eight states that ban handheld phones while driving, and it is one of 30 that prohibit texting. New Jersey is also one of 35 states that double fines for work-zone speeding violations, although it has not joined five that use cameras to record violations there.

"It's not about collecting fines," Martinez insisted. "It's about safety. We'd like nothing better than to have a year without any deaths at work sites."

Only Kansas, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Vermont, Puerto Rico and West Virginia met the zero-fatalities standard at work zones in 2009, according to the clearinghouse. Washington, D.C., and three states — Alaska, Rhode Island and Washington — recorded just one death each.

New Jersey ranked 23rd in work-zone fatalities among the 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. Its 10 work zone deaths amounted to 1.7 percent of total traffic deaths in 2009 — slightly below the 2 percent national average and way below Minnesota (4.7 percent) and both Oregon and Utah (4.5 percent each). But its record was considerably higher than two other urban states — New York and Ohio — where work-zone fatalities accounted for less than half of 1 percent of all road deaths.

Researchers are still trying to understand the dynamics of work-zone crashes. Do most occur at the beginning or end of a queue? Or in the middle?

"If we knew that, we could put more resources into making it safer at the most dangerous stage," said Dennis Motiani, director of traffic operations for the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Research shows that 20 percent to 25 percent of crashes in any long line occur near the tail end. But it's not clear whether this dynamic holds up at work sites. Motiani is participating in an 18-month study conducted by Rutgers University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology that's analyzing data to find answers.

Stages aren't the sort of thing that road warriors generally think about when negotiating work zones, but knowing which location is the riskiest phase of this short journey couldn't hurt.

There are four phases, according to Motiani:

* The heavily signed area at the start of the work zone
* The tapered area where the number of lanes is reduced
* The work area itself
* The end where cars reenter normal traffic

Staying safe requires paying close attention to such things, especially "the location of road workers, whose jobs often put them extremely close to traffic, and the movement of vehicles," said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

If these facts can't persuade drivers to move cautiously in work zones, maybe this one can: Only 15 percent of people killed at these sites were working there; the rest were drivers and passengers just passing through.

Road Warrior runs Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. E-mail: cichowski@northjersey.com.
Blog: http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/roadwarrior.]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/work-sites-pose1Young entrepreneur creates Speedbump safe driving apphttp://www.njteendriving.com/young-entrepreneurMon, 28 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY
College student Jon Fischer came up with the idea that led to the Speedbump app that launched here at the CTIA trade show in Orlando as a 16 year old preparing for his Lunenburg (Mass.) High School science fair. A local teen had been killed in an accident on just the type of secondary road where many such fatalities occur. Fischer's solution was to not only monitor speeds on highways, but on secondary and residential roads, as well.

Parents can sign into their Speedbump accounts on a computer to customize speed limits on each type of road. If their kid exceeds those predetermined limits, parents will receive alerts on their computers, and emails and texts on their own mobile phones. (Speedbump doesn't actually detect posted speed limits.)

Proud father Dick Fischer, a technology veteran working with his son, says Jon Fischer's idea saves live. Unlike some of the other solutions in the market, Speedbump doesn't lock down a cellphone or actually prevent texting when a teen takes to the wheel (or for that matter is a passenger in a pal's car.) Instead the app is meant to encourage dialog between parents and teen drivers while at the same time protecting the younger person's independence and privacy. So parents only receive instant alerts if their son or daughter disobeys the rules, or happens to be a passenger in a car where the driver is going too fast.

Moreover, though Speedbump can tap into GPS to determine a driver's location, the driver's whereabouts aren't routinely reported to parents. Still, parents can turn on tracking in an emergency. At their end, teens can press a "Check-in" button on the phone when he or she arrives at their destination or press a "Help" button in a dire situation.

Service starts at $9.99 a month. A Distracted Driving feature is included in a premium version called Speedbump Plus that goes for $12.99 a month. If a vehicle is traveling over 10 miles-per-hour and the texting, email or browser app on the phone is open, Speedbump sends a "Distracted Driving Alarm" to the web portal and contacts list.

For now, Speedbump only works on Android devices. Fischer hopes to add an iPhone app down the road.]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/young-entrepreneurStill Another Driving Distraction: Loud Musichttp://www.njteendriving.com/still-another-driving-distractionMon, 28 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMTJohn Cichowski, The Road Warrior
These warnings make sense because crashes kill more teens than anything else and distracted and drunken driving are leading causes of traffic deaths. But how many of us ever warn our kids about the highly deceptive danger that many of us associate with driving pleasure?

That’s listening to loud music.

Yeah, I know: Restricting heavy metal or hip-hop amounts to fascism. But before you roll your eyes and turn to the sports pages, please consider one of the findings uncovered in a 2008 study by Erie Indemnity, a Pennsylvania insurance carrier:

A whopping 93 percent of teen drivers play loud, distracting music behind the wheel.

And then there’s this disturbing news uncovered in 2001 by Canadian scientists at Newfoundland’s Memorial University:

Reaction time slows as much as 20 percent when someone is subjected to loud volume, a potentially fatal delay for motorists driving even at modest speeds.

I’m supposed to know things like that, but shamefully I didn’t. I felt less shameful a couple of weeks ago, though, when I mentioned them to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at a safe-driving event in Yonkers. The response from the man who’s leading the nation’s anti-distracted-driving campaign was little more than a puzzled stare.

Actually, I only know this stuff because of a young lady from Emerson. "Few people recognize the dangers of loud music," Jennifer Budres explained.

To be fair, Jennifer has an advantage over know-it-alls like LaHood and me. We got our driver’s licenses while Bacharach and David were still churning out hits. Jennifer, 17, got hers a few months ago around the time she received an assignment from her television production teacher, Ava Annese, to find a topic for a teen-driving media campaign.

"I remembered that when I’d been practice driving with my mom, my mind would wander whenever I blasted my music," she said. "I realized I wasn’t concentrating on my driving."

The Emerson High School junior, who wants a career in television journalism, teamed up with another junior — Jake Williams, also a budding broadcaster — who recalled getting so wrapped up in a loud song "that I blew through a stop sign." Luckily, nobody was hurt but the two recognized that others in their age group were probably getting distracted by heavy metal and hip-hop, too.

Jennifer jumped on the Internet. Among her findings:

* Loud music prevents drivers from hearing sirens and horns
* Nearly all states treat loud music as an annoyance offense, not a distracted-driving violation.
* A 1995-99 Highway Safety Research Center study showed that adjusting a car radio or CD player was the second most prevalent in-car distraction.
* Car radio volume typically exceeds 100 decibels, considerably louder than the maximum sustained exposure recommended for humans.
* A Ford Motor Co. system allows parents to limit audio levels in young drivers’ cars to 56 percent less than maximum volume.

This research was enough to make Emerson High one of 19 finalists in the New Jersey Brain Injury Association’s "U Got Brains" high school teen-driving safety contest. Emerson students are conducting their own research and creating a public service announcement video called "Victims of Volume" that raises public awareness about the dangers of loud music.

Should it be outlawed?

Jennifer isn’t so sure. "For now," she said, "we’re just suggesting that drivers keep their car radio volume about halfway from the loudest setting."

But will teens who have been blasting car radios since the Big Band era voluntarily pull back on the sounds they love?

"Some say they should be allowed to play music any way they want," she said. "But once you show them the evidence about the harm it can do, they start to get the message."

Road Warrior runs Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. E-mail cichowski@northjersey.com.]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/still-another-driving-distractionDriving-safety clinics go into schools to help sober up teenshttp://www.njteendriving.com/driving-safety-clinicsFri, 04 Mar 2011 06:00:00 GMTLarry Copeland - USA Today
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — As tires squealed on three makeshift driving courses in the parking lot behind him, Matt Bond, 17, explains that he's a safe driver: The Chattahoochee High School senior doesn't drink, obeys the rules of the road and doesn't use his cellphone while driving.

Even so, Bond says he learned something at a traveling, one-day teen-driver program co-sponsored by automaker Ford and a national traffic safety group: "I change the radio (stations) all the time," he says. "This showed me it's a lot less safe than I thought. It shows that when you're dialing it, you take your eyes off the road and your hand off the wheel."

Bond was one of 72 Chattahoochee students who last month completed the three-course driver program, part of a day of driving-safety activities for the 1,730 members of the student body provided at no cost by the Ford Motor Co. Fund and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).

Under the watchful eye of professional race car drivers, students in the Ford Driving Skills for Life program learned what it's like to drive while legally drunk and while totally smashed; how hard it is to drive while dealing with assorted in-car distractions, and how to drive on icy and slippery roads.

"We know that with the advent of texting, in particular with teens, that that's become a major distraction," says Jim Graham, manager of Ford Driving Skills for Life. "The lack of experience is a key. You take that in conjunction with distracted driving and you've got a recipe for disaster."

More teens die in automobile crashes than from any other cause — a reality exacerbated by the increased use of handheld communication devices. That comes as budget-conscious educators at high schools around the country have slashed driver-education programs. Ford is bringing one-day clinics to 30 high schools in 15 states. Each clinic costs Ford about $35,000, Graham says.

Barbara Harsha, executive director of GHSA, says the program is vital in these budget-cutting times. "It fills some of the gaps that exist in driver education, particularly in providing teens hands-on experience with driver distraction and recognition of other hazards," she says. "Too often, driver education focuses on passing the driving test and not on the key skills needed to be a safe driver."

Tim Duncan, Chattahoochee's principal, says the school does not offer driver education classes. "I love this opportunity," he says. "Like a lot of other places, we don't have enough publicly funded driver's ed, so we have to look out for what the corporate sector offers us."

Out in the parking lot, "Scuba" Steve Swinnerton, who had a career in karting and entry-level Formula One racing, is guiding students through the drunken-driving course in a Ford Fusion. They each drive around orange cones "sober," then put on Innocorp Fatal Vision goggles that simulate a blood-alcohol content of .08%, the legal limit for drunken driving in all 50 states. Finally, they navigate the course wearing goggles simulating a much drunker state.

With extreme concentration, it's possible to circle the course without hitting any cones at .08%; it's impossible with the drunker goggles. Swinnerton explains that if they were actually drunk, they would lack the power to concentrate to this extent.

The lesson seems to resonate with students. "I knocked down a lot of cones at the legal limit," says Catie Foley, an 18-year-old senior. "Then I put the totally drunk goggles on, and it was even worse."

In 2009, 3,466 teens died from crash injuries. Based on accidents of all severity, the crash rate per mile driven for 16- to 19-year-olds is four times the rate for drivers 20 and older, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Ford's Web-based curriculum, available at drivingskillsforlife.com, is at the core of the program. It also offers a songwriting contest, Belt It Out, in which teens compose and record songs on distracted driving and compete for a $5,000 prize.

The clinics grew out of a program in Tazewell County, Ill., where 15 teens were killed in crashes in 15 months, Graham says. Ford designed a teen-driving-safety program for the county's seven schools that help cut teen crash deaths to zero for four straight years. It was expanded to more than 100 high schools statewide. Along with phased-in driving privileges and a texting-while-driving ban, it has helped cut teen crash deaths in Illinois by 50%, he says.

Johns Creek, a north Atlanta suburb, is the third stop on the 30-school tour. The day's events include a schoolwide assembly on teen-driving safety and lunchtime activities.

The hands-on driving clinic, though, is the hit of the day. Matt Kiefer, 18, a senior who has been driving for two years, signed up because he wanted a chance to drive a Mustang.

He's glad he did.

"I definitely learned a lot," Kiefer says. "On the distracted-driving course, they make you change the radio, answer the cellphone and listen to conversation, while you're trying to pay attention to the signs. When you're driving with friends, you don't always realize how much it's affecting your driving. On the course, it's really easy to see."

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/driving-safety-clinicsKyleighs Law Upheldhttp://www.njteendriving.com/kyleighs-law-upheldWed, 02 Mar 2011 06:00:00 GMTNJteenDriving.comIn a court challenge that began in Morris County, a state appeals court Tuesday upheld a controversial law that requires young New Jersey drivers to place a brightly colored sticker on their license plates.

The state Appellate Division ruled Kyleigh’s Law, requiring drivers under age 21 with a special learner’s permit, examination permit or probationary license to display the reflective decal, is lawful under the state and federal constitutions.

Mothers Donna Trautmann and Jayneann Struble sued the state of New Jersey and its governor — Chris Christie was automatically substituted in court papers for former governor Jon S. Corzine — on behalf of their children.

Trautmann’s husband Gregg, a Rockaway attorney, argued Kyleigh’s Law is preempted by the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, violates equal protection and is an unreasonable search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

His complaint was dismissed by the trial court, and the state Appellate Division upheld that decision in a published opinion.

The opinion outlined the graduated driver’s license system, which phases in young drivers by restricting the hours of the day they can drive, the type and number of passengers and prohibiting use of digital devices.

Kyleigh’s Law, listed in Chapter 37 of 2009 laws, requires the reflective sticker to aid authorities in their enforcement of the graduated license restrictions.

According to the opinion, the plaintiffs argued the stickers violate the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act because they “disclose private information — their age group.”

The Appellate panel disagreed, noting the privacy act’s list of restricted personal information is “exhaustive,” but does not include age or age group.

“As a matter of common usage and ordinary understanding, a person’s age group does not identify an individual,” the court said. “It identifies the person as a member of a large segment of the population.”

Robert Trautmann, Gregg’s brother and law partner, said the panel misinterpreted the federal government’s intent.

“It’s an inclusive list, not an exhaustive list,” Trautmann said.

The court also rejected arguments that compared young New Jersey drivers subject to Kyleigh’s Law to those licensed out-of-state yet operating vehicles in the Garden State without the brightly colored sticker.

“We are disappointed in the result,” Trautmann said. “We feel we were correct in our position.”

The law in focus is named for Kyleigh D’Alessio, who died in a 2006 car crash in Long Valley. She was riding in an Audi TT, driven by a 17-year-old boy who also died, that careened into a tree.

Trautmann said he and his brother sincerely sympathize with Donna Weeks, Kyleigh’s mother and a supporter of the bill and attorney general’s effort to combat the legal action discussed in Tuesday’s opinion.

However, he said their lawsuit or remedial legislation will likely overturn the law, especially amid public criticism since its proposal.

Trautmann said his law firm has filed a notice of petition asking the state Supreme Court to take up the case.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/kyleighs-law-upheldGive credit to new law for drop in teen deathshttp://www.njteendriving.com/give-creditFri, 28 Jan 2011 06:00:00 GMTNJteenDriving.comBy JOHN CICHOWSKI
ROAD WARRIOR COLUMNIST

While others try to put New Jersey's fiscal house in order, an unlikely group of cops and traffic safety bureaucrats may have finally hit on a way to preserve New Jersey's most precious assets – our kids, especially lead-foot teens who are new to driving the family car.

One look at last year's traffic fatality figures tells an incredible story about road safety: Only 20 drivers under 21, including four from North Jersey, were killed in 2010, the lowest figure in generations. That's 44.4 percent fewer than the 36 killed behind the wheel in 2009. That's half as many as the average number of drivers in this age category who died in each of the preceding six years.

If statistics make you dizzier than watching your teen namesake attempt a U-turn, think about this simple fact: In May, September and November of last year, NOT EVEN ONE teen driver was killed, and so far, preliminary figures suggest that January 2011 is also free of teen-driver fatalities.

When was the last time this occurred in the prior three years?

"Only once," said Lt. Patrick O'Dwyer, who heads the State Police Fatal Accident Investigation Unit. "In February 2008."

Is this a statistical anomaly or did something happen in 2010 to cause such a big drop? Can it be attributed to the May 1 teen driving restrictions that included an 11 p.m. curfew, passenger limits, a ban on hands-free cellphone use, and a tiny, mandated red bumper decal to identify novice drivers under the state's Graduated Driver License law?

"Absolutely!" said William Cicchetti, who heads the New Jersey State Traffic Officers Association. "We predicted it. We said, 'Give us a way to enforce this law, and you'll see a drop in deaths.' And that's just what happened."

Monthly tracking of teen-driver deaths and traffic tickets written for GDL violations seem to support Cicchetti's theory.

Nine teen drivers were killed in the four months prior to the May reforms, meaning an average of 2.25 drivers were killed each month. But 11 teen drivers were killed from May to December for a monthly average of 1.375 — a 40-percent monthly decline compared to the first four months.

Statewide GDL enforcement also rose nearly 50 percent starting in May. Average monthly tickets jumped from 862 pre-reform to 1,275 post-reform, according to the state Administrative Office of the Courts.

"It's a small sample but it's encouraging, so it must mean we're doing something right," said Pam Fischer, who headed the Governor's Commission on Teen Driving, which wrote the reforms. "I only wish teen passenger deaths had fallen, too."

Fifteen teen passengers, including five from North Jersey, were killed riding in teen-driven cars in 2010 compared to the 11 who died this way in 2009. But the 2010 figure was 32 percent lower than the preceding six-year average.

"I'm sure the decal is a major reason for fewer deaths," said Dan Gaskill, the Princeton Driving School owner who heads the Driving School Association of New Jersey. "Kids we train tell us they recognize that they now must be extra careful because the decal identifies them as a new driver. That means they'd better get home by 11 o'clock, they'd better not drive with more than one teen passenger, and they'd better not use a cellphone — even a handheld — because they're easy to spot."

New Jersey became the first state to mandate decals, which quickly caused a firestorm of protest last year when more than 20,000 teens and parents took to the Internet to lobby for the law's repeal. Many, including Assemblyman Robert Schroeder, R-Washington Township, feared the law would make it easy for predators to identify teens. Governor Christie vetoed a repeal measure, but directed Attorney General Paula Dow to confirm any reports of attacks on GDL holders. Local police have been asked to produce examples.

"My department doesn't have any," said Cicchetti, the police director in Schroeder's town. "And I don't know of any other department in the traffic officers' association that has any cases like that either."

Schroeder didn't respond to an interview request, but his chief of staff — Lisa Yakomin — questioned whether the big dip in teen deaths could be attributed to the GDL or its decal component. "There are lots of reasons why traffic deaths go down," Yakomin said.

Last year, her boss introduced a bill to replace the decal law with one that would fine parents of teens who violate GDL provisions. Fischer, a traffic safety consultant who was dismissed as state Traffic Safety Director shortly after Christie's veto, opposes the Schroeder bill but supports a bill requiring parents to attend teen-driving orientations to better understand GDL provisions, which are spelled out at northjersey.com/gdl.

"Too many parents don't take teen-driver training seriously," she said. "The key to reducing teen deaths even more is getting parents involved."

Road Warrior runs Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. E-mail: cichowski@northjersey.com. Blog: http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/ roadwarrior.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/give-creditA Short-Circuit to Distracted Drivinghttp://www.njteendriving.com/a-short-circuit-to-distracted-drivingMon, 24 Jan 2011 06:00:00 GMTNJteenDriving.comBy MATT RICHTEL

Cellular carriers, having spent years trying to blanket the nation with phone service, are now working on ways to stop people from getting calls and texts when they are behind the wheel.

The technology is aimed at curbing dangerous distractions by temporarily interrupting service, short-circuiting the temptation for people to respond to the chime of their phones.

T-Mobile announced a service this week that, for $4.99 a month, automatically disables rings and alerts and sends calls to voice mail when the phone is in a moving car. Sprint Nextel and AT&T said they were exploring the technology, while Verizon Wireless has been cooperating with small companies to offer a similar service on its network.

The services being tested and deployed are voluntary and can be overridden if a driver needs to use the phone for an emergency. They face real challenges in that the technology, for now, cannot distinguish whether a phone belongs to a driver or a passenger — or, for that matter, a bus rider.

Some safety advocates said it was not clear how widely consumers would adopt such technologies or whether they could work effectively. Many cellphone applications already are available from independent companies that claim to shut down a smartphone when it is moving quickly, but they have received tepid reviews from consumers and researchers.

Still, the safety advocates said the move by the major carriers to get involved is a critical, if overdue, step against distracted driving.

They say that the carriers, by testing this technology, integrating it into their phones and putting their marketing muscle behind it, could be forceful allies in a fight to help people resist what they say is the compulsive lure of mobile devices.

“There already is a simple technology that prevents people from using their phone while driving — the off switch. But people aren’t using it,” said John Ulczycki, a vice president at the National Safety Council, a nonprofit group that focuses on road safety issues.

Mr. Ulczycki said the biggest challenge is compulsive texting among teenage drivers. “They need a technology that protects them from themselves,” he said. The carrier involvement is “a very important step.”

Research shows that motorists talking on phones face a crash risk that is four times greater than that of motorists not on phones, while texting and driving is far more dangerous.

Studies also show that it can be difficult for people to ignore the ping of an incoming text or call — for psychological and physiological reasons. People may fear missing an important call from a friend or boss, or get excited by the prospect of receiving interesting news.

Physiologically, researchers say, the lure of mobile devices has addictive properties, in that people feel an adrenaline burst when a call or text comes in and get a rush when they answer.

An executive at T-Mobile said the company was introducing its new DriveSmart service at the request of customers who said they “need help while they’re driving.”

“There are people who know they get distracted while driving and feel responsible enough to themselves that they want help,” said the executive, Torrie Dorrell, vice president for apps, content and games at T-Mobile. She said the technology “negates those endorphins” that an incoming message can spark.

Ms. Dorrell also said T-Mobile was hearing from parents who “desperately want to keep their kid off the phone when he or she is driving.”

The DriveSmart service works by detecting when the phone is switching among cell towers. It then activates the phone’s GPS receiver to try to verify that the phone is moving quickly. After about 10 seconds of motion it will automatically send a call to voice mail or a text to the in-box without notifying the driver of its presence.

The service is available on just one Samsung cellphone. T-Mobile says more are on the way.

The system can be programmed to allow exceptions so that, for instance, parents can allow their calls to ring through or let it be used for applications like driving directions. It also can be turned off by the driver, but T-Mobile says that when that happens, parents can get a notice.

T-Mobile said it was exploring technology that could help determine whether a phone belonged to a driver rather than a passenger.

But the company said it had spent millions of dollars ensuring that the technology works seamlessly. There are existing apps that are often cheap or free, but are not customized for T-Mobile’s network or built with the company’s cooperation.

Researchers for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit group financed by insurance companies, tested some of these applications and concluded that they were “difficult to use, often unreliable, and easily overridden,” Russ Rader, a spokesman for the group, said.

Mr. Rader said that the carriers’ involvement may improve the effectiveness, and could allow corporations to install the technology across an employee base or among fleet drivers.

The emergence of the call-blocking technology is occurring amid changing business incentives for carriers, which once profited handsomely from people paying per-minute rates for calls in cars and elsewhere. But now, with many people buying their minutes in large bundles, the money is made from applications and services — like, in these cases, ones that actually stop people from talking behind the wheel.

Sprint has been working with Aegis Mobility, a company based in Vancouver, which works at the level of the carrier network by trying to intercept the call or text before it ever gets to the phone, according to Aegis’s chairman, Timothy Smith.

Mr. Smith said the technology could be ready for deployment by the end of the year. Crystal Davis, a spokeswoman for Sprint, said the company was “aggressively researching” the technology. But she declined to say when Sprint might deploy a service.

Tracy Van Fossen, a legal secretary in Anamosa, Iowa, and the mother of three sons, said the technology seemed promising. Last April, Ms. Van Fossen’s sister, Julie Davis, was killed while walking, hit by an 18-year-old driver on a cellphone.

Ms. Van Fossen said she would consider getting the technology for her 16-year-old, Alex, to ensure that he would not use his phone when driving to school. But she said she would like the technology to improve so that it could distinguish passengers from drivers.

“Once they work out the hiccups, it would be a very good thing to have,” Ms. Van Fossen said.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/a-short-circuit-to-distracted-driving5 Worries Parents Should Drop, And 5 They Shouldn'thttp://www.njteendriving.com/5-worriesMon, 04 Oct 2010 15:33:22 GMTNJteenDriving.comShoomp shoomp shoomp. Hear that?

That’s the sound of helicopter parents hovering over their children, worrying every second of the day that terrorists could strike Johnny's school or a stranger will snatch Jane from the bus stop.

Scary stuff. But it turns out most parents are worrying about all the wrong things.

"These worries that we have are so rare," says Christie Barnes, mother of four and author of The Paranoid Parents Guide. "It’s like packing a snow shovel in case it snows in Las Vegas."



Based on surveys Barnes collected, the top five worries of parents are, in order:

  • Kidnapping
  • School snipers
  • Terrorists
  • Dangerous strangers
  • Drugs

But how do children really get hurt or killed?

  • Car accidents
  • Homicide (usually committed by a person who knows the child, not a stranger)
  • Abuse
  • Suicide
  • Drowning

Why such a big discrepancy between worries and reality? Barnes says parents fixate on rare events because they internalize horrific stories they hear on the news or from a friend without stopping to think about the odds the same thing could happen to their children.

"I’d love it if every news story came with a little warning at the bottom that said, 'Even though this is very tragic, this is 1 in 10 million, 1 in a million or 1 in 20', " says Barnes.

This unnecessary worrying, she argues, is detrimental to parents. The stress worry-wracked parents endure can harm their health and their relationships with other adults. Also, focusing on rare dangers distracts parents from the dangers that matter.

As for children, Barnes says that overprotectiveness will hurt them in the long run by making them less resilient. "We’re teaching them to be helpless," she says. "And because we’re so afraid of the world, we’re teaching them to be afraid of the world."

So, what’s a worried parent to do? Barnes has a simple prescription: helmets and seatbelts. Yup, that’s right, helmets and seatbelts. "I know it sounds boring," she says, but according to her research, making kids wear protective gear and buckle up in the car cuts kids' chances of death by 90 percent and their chances of serious injury by 78 percent.

"We think worry means that we love our kids," Barnes says. "So we’re kind of fooling ourselves to think that all this research and all this worry we’re doing is actually love… because it isn’t."


This article was originally published on www.npr.org,  click here to view the original

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/5-worriesMY TWO CENTS: Sticker shockhttp://www.njteendriving.com/my-two-centsFri, 16 Jul 2010 19:27:00 GMTNJteenDriving.comThe entrance to the Garden State Parkway South is maybe less than a half mile down Route 66 from the Asbury Park Press building in Neptune.

Because it is on the right side of the road, I was in the right lane, my turn signal on.

I was about to turn right onto the entrance ramp, when I noticed the car in the "fast" lane to my left, barely a car length ahead of me, beginning to slow down.

Call it ESP or women's intuition, but I had a feeling the driver was going to make a sudden right and cross over my lane, cutting me off to take the exit.

I was correct.

Thank goodness my reflexes are still pretty fast. I slowed down and nearly stopped, leaving about two feet between the front of my car and the backside of the other vehicle. As I followed it down around the ramp and into the right lane of the Garden State Parkway, I noticed the bright red sticker on the license plate. It was one of the stickers that permit or probationary license holders younger than 21 are now required to display.

As I moved into the left lane and passed the car, I saw the driver, a pretty young thing in pigtails looking like a deer in the headlights. As I left her in my dust, she was still hesitating about pulling out into the left lane, as I had, to avoid being forced to take the next exit just a few feet ahead. I wonder if she ever made it.

The red stickers are a requirement of Kyleigh's Law, named after a teen who was killed in a 2006 crash. The law requires any permit or probationary license holder younger than 21 to stick red removable decals to the license plates of the car they drive.

There is a fine of about $100 if they don't purchase the stickers (they cost $4) and put them on their cars.

When I first heard about the mandated stickers a couple of months ago, I thought they were a bit excessive. I had forgotten about the time, when I was 17, trying to maneuver "Splish-Splash," my 1949 red Buick convertible with a straight 8 cylinder engine and "Dynaflow" out of Ronda Carlough's driveway in Ridgewood, and ripping the hose faucett off the side of her house. The car was a decade old and didn't have power steering, but it was all I could afford.

The Garden State Parkway was under construction at the time and nobody could ever have imagined that the main flow of traffic eventually would be averaging 80 mph. I think if I were 16 or 17, I'd be pretty nervous about trying to jump into a lane of vehicles moving that fast.

Now that I have had my first experience with a young "stickered" driver, I realize that the stickers are not just required so that police can "target" inexperienced drivers who aren't obeying traffic rules or have too many passengers in the car or are text-messaging their friends. The stickers also are there to warn veteran drivers like myself that the operator of the other vehicle might possibly do something erratic and impulsive — such as pull across two lanes — and therefore to give it some extra room.

I'm glad I did. Getting into a crash is not a good way to get your kicks on Route 66.

(Originally posted on www.app.com)


]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/my-two-centsThe Scariest Milestonehttp://www.njteendriving.com/the-scariest-milestoneMon, 12 Jul 2010 19:49:35 GMTNJteenDriving.comby Harlan Coben

As I open the door and slide in, I realize I have never known such fear.

That may sound bizarre to you. I am, after all, a thriller writer. I routinely delve into the darkest chambers of the human heart. I've written about murder, kidnapping, depravity, horror, violence, and disfigurement.

I thought I understood sheer terror. But I didn't. Not till now.

I slide all the way in, close the door, buckle my seat belt. Sitting next to me in the driver's seat is my 16-year-old daughter, Charlotte. She has just gotten her learner's permit. She spots my facial expression, which might conservatively be labeled "abject terror," and starts the car.

"Don't worry," she tells me.

How to describe the next few minutes? Knuckles? White. Fingernails? Gone -- torn off by my grip on the upholstery. Gaze? Diverted. Teeth? Ground into chalk.

I can't look at the curb to my right because with "teenage drift" it feels as though we are on it. I constantly stomp down on the IPB or "imaginary parent brake." (You know the one I mean, on the front passenger side -- your dad used it too when you learned to drive.) I press down so hard on the fake brake that I nearly put my foot through the floor.

"I'm doing good, right?" Charlotte asks.

I open my mouth to agree, but my throat is too dry to form words. I turn and look at her profile and wonder what's going on here.

Didn't I push this girl on a swing, like, last month? Wasn't it a week ago that she crawled into my lap as I read her the first Harry Potter book? Wasn't it just yesterday when she'd rush to the door when I came home, squeezing my neck as I picked her up? What is she doing behind the steering wheel of a car?

Being a parent is not for the faint of heart. I may joke about knowing fear, but the fact is, the first time I ever knew real fear was the day Charlotte, my first child, was born. Suddenly there is someone in the world you care about more than anything. There is a tremendous joy in that. But there is also the terror of knowing that you -- frail, moody, prone-to-mistakes you -- are responsible for that new being.

"Dad?"

"I'm here," I manage to utter. My hand covers my eyes. I think that I may be developing a facial tic.

Charlotte smiles. She has both hands on the wheel. So do I whenever I'm in the driver's seat now. There have been studies that show that your children watch how you drive, that you are -- for better or worse -- their role model here. If you text and drive, children are far more likely to do so. If you drive recklessly, they'll pick up that habit, too. They're constantly watching you. In one study, many new drivers noted that their parents often steered with their knees so that they could apply makeup or send e-mails or even eat breakfast. The kids noticed and admitted to doing the same.

That shouldn't surprise anyone. Children learn much more from how you act than from what you tell them. There are times this worries me -- we parents are rarely the role models we want to be. True for life. True for driving.

But here, today, the stakes are too high. So I don't try to beat yellow lights anymore -- patience, a virtue I don't really possess, has become the key. I no longer speed when driving, and I try to slow down and smell the roses as my daughter's years under my roof begin to dwindle. I keep my hands on the steering wheel at 2 and 10 o'clock (though I still drum out a beat when a good song is on the radio). I want to be a steadier hand for her and her siblings. I make sure my phone is put away and on silent, and I hope she uses similar caution in life and especially, please, in the car.

I peek between my fingers and see that we're nearing the house. Charlotte pulls into the driveway, coasts to a stop, puts the car in park, and turns off the ignition. She looks at me expectantly.

"How did I do?"

Parenting doesn't come with a learner's permit, but I know what to do here. I smile. "You did great," I say. And I mean it.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/the-scariest-milestoneDover teen dies of injuries from July 4 Denville crashhttp://www.njteendriving.com/dover-teen-diesMon, 12 Jul 2010 15:37:17 GMTNJteenDriving.comBy Eugene Paik

DENVILLE – A 17-year-old Dover boy involved in a single-car crash on July 4 died today from serious head injuries, police said.

The teen, whose name was not released, had been a passenger in the rear seat of the car when driver Jorge Ocampo-Arenas, 18, of Wharton, lost control of the vehicle on Palmer Road and smashed it into a tree.

Ocampo-Arenas was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other passengers were taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where one remained in serious condition today. The Dover teen was not wearing a seat belt, police said.

Denville Police Chief Christopher Wagner said that Ocampo-Arenas had been driving on a Graduated Driver License, which limited the hours he could drive and the amount of passengers allowed in the vehicle.

Police believe that excessive speed played a role in the crash, although an investigation is ongoing.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/dover-teen-diesNJ teen decal controversy surprises Aussieshttp://www.njteendriving.com/nj-teen-decal-controversyFri, 02 Jul 2010 18:11:03 GMTNJteenDriving.com ROAD WARRIOR COLUMNIST

Is it likely that predators will prey on New Jersey teens who now must stick Graduated Driver License decals on their license plates? Or is it likely that these tiny red identifiers will prevent serious crashes — even deaths?


These questions are no longer local. Decal opponents point to the Miami region, where thugs were able to prey on tourists because their rental-car plates were coded. But advocates say safety benefits override these concerns. They point to Great Britain and Australia, where adult drivers often stop to assist GDL-labeled drivers in trouble. Decal-inspired attacks on teens have not been reported in these countries, nor in the state of Georgia and our own Monmouth County, where pilot decal programs were begun.

Are such comparisons exact?

Critics say no. In Georgia and Monmouth, for example, the identifiers were voluntary, not compulsory. And some believe cultural differences negate comparisons with countries where driving is done on the left side of the road instead of the right. As Wayne reader Peter Smith noted, Britain's GDL identifier is required only for those practicing for a road test, and they must be accompanied by an adult driver.

"This avoids the possibility of young drivers being targeted by predators," Peter reasoned.

"Avoid" may be too strong a word, but he has a point — except for Australia. There, as in New Jersey, GDL licensees may drive alone — with identifiers. But in 30 years, teens have not been singled out for attack this way.

"Never!" said Ian Faulks, an Australian psychologist and safety expert. Faulks, once responsible for monitoring road safety Down Under, interviewed novice Aussie drivers upon learning of the New Jersey controversy.

"Boys and girls and their parents have been very surprised," he said. One young driver told him identifiers simply "show we may be more likely to hesitate or make a mistake."

"You can always lock the doors," a young woman told him.

Some standards differ, however, between the former British penal colony in the Pacific and the mid-Atlantic colony that helped lead the American Revolution. For example, Australians may drink at 18. Aussie identifiers are much larger than New Jersey's tags, too. And unlike our program, novice Aussie drivers of all ages must get GDLs.

But the main reason that Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Japan and New Jersey require decals is the same: Without them, police are unable to recognize GDL drivers who must obey driving curfews, passenger limitations and hands-free cellphone restrictions that prevent novice crashes, injuries and deaths.

Although there have been no reports of predator-related teen fatalities linked to GDL identifiers in these four nations — none! — the number of teen deaths caused by car crashes in the United States is extraordinary:

Nearly 6,000 annually! That's 12 percent of all fatal crashes.
Isn't it likely that decal enforcement of the GDL law could save some of those lives?

Here are more decal questions:

Q. If a court has ruled that it's constitutional for New Jersey police to stop teen drivers with decals if they're believed to be violating the GDL law, shouldn't it be constitutional for Arizona police to stop drivers believed to be illegal aliens? Jack Velten, River Edge

These examples have little in common. The Arizona controversy rests on the issue of racial, or cultural, profiling, which is barred by the Constitution. The New Jersey controversy rests on the issue of driving standards, competency and safety, which states are required to regulate.

Q. Since 18-year-olds are adults who may vote, join the military, buy real estate and be tried for a crime, why aren't driving restrictions for this age group unconstitutional? Isn't it absurd that a 20-year-old needs state permission to drive to his or her job to comply with the GDL curfew? James Hughes, Dumont

Many restrictions, such as buying alcohol, cover 18-year-olds. Government's foremost responsibility is to protect the public welfare, which includes reasonable safety restrictions on public accommodations such as roads. So, it's not unreasonable for states to impose age-based safety restrictions on novices who use dangerous equipment on public thoroughfares. As a deputy attorney general noted in a Superior Court hearing on this issue, age is not protected under federal privacy statutes. Moreover, the New Jersey driving curfew is waived for GDL holders who carry proof showing they must drive to work between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

E-mail cichowski@northjersey.com

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/nj-teen-decal-controversyReadington teen killed in crashhttp://www.njteendriving.com/readington-teen-killedFri, 02 Jul 2010 17:47:24 GMTNJteenDriving.com
Ryan Coleman, 19, of Locust Road, was traveling on Pulaski Road at around 11:15 p.m. when police said his 2005 Chrysler Town and Country left the roadway and struck a tree near Glenmont Road.

Police fire and EMS officials responded quickly and were able to extricate Coleman from his car in serious condition. He was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, but died of his injuries shortly after arriving.

Readington police said the crash remains under investigation.]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/readington-teen-killedFiery crash kills one, wounds three on East State Street bridge in Trentonhttp://www.njteendriving.com/fiery-crash-kills-oneMon, 28 Jun 2010 15:16:28 GMTNJteenDriving.comBy Artemis Coughlan
TRENTON — One person was killed and three others seriously injured in a fiery crash that happened early this morning on East State Street.

Trenton police investigating the 12:13 a.m. crash between Monmouth and Wall streets learned that the driver, Lorenzio Miller-Santos, 19, was driving the rented 2010 Nissan Sentra at high speed as the car got to a slight bend in the road at the railroad bridge. He lost control and slammed head-on into the concrete and steel median.

As Trenton police officers Vito Renna and Justin Brugnoli and passerby good Samaritan Derrick Phillips, 17, worked frantically to get the four occupants out of the car, it burst into flames.

The Trenton Fire Department quickly extinguished the flames and the trapped people were extricated.

The front-seat passenger, Jonathan A. Brown, 21, of Ewing, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The left rear passenger, Lester Jackson, 31, of Trenton, sustained severe head and chest injuries.

He was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center and then flown to Cooper Medical Center in Camden where he is listed in extremely critical condition.

The right rear passenger, a 16-year-old juvenile from Trenton, received multiple traumatic injuries and was admitted to the center in critical condition.

Miller-Santos suffered a lacerated liver and other internal injuries as was admitted to the center in guarded condition.

Police suspect that alcohol was a major factor in the accident, Medina said.

Miller-Santos was charged with vehicular homicide, assault by auto, and other motor vehicle violations.

Fatal Crash Reconstructionist Investigators — Trenton Police Criminal Investigation Detective Rick Rivera and Detective Don Santora of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office — responded to the scene.

This is an ongoing investigation, and the Trenton Criminal Investigation Bureau requests that anyone with information about the accident to call Detective Rivera at (609) 989-4161 or the Trenton Police Confidential Tip Line at (609) 989-3663.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/fiery-crash-kills-oneForum highlights technology to help teen drivershttp://www.njteendriving.com/forum-highlights-technologyMon, 28 Jun 2010 15:10:51 GMTNJteenDriving.com
U.S. Rep. James Oberstar and transportation safety experts, including ITS Institute director Max Donath, introduced and solicited feedback on the potentially life-saving technology and called on parents to set an example by holding their children accountable. Oberstar received a live demonstration of the TDSS in a test vehicle just prior to the forum.

“You can change habits if parents take responsibility,” Oberstar said. “It’s not just the teenager. Most of what we learn, we learn by example from our families.”
TDSS is a GPS-enabled smart phone mounted on the dashboard to provide the driver real-time visual and audio feedback about driving performance. (Other phone functions are disabled while the TDSS is in use and the car is on. All incoming calls are routed to voicemail and no outgoing calls or texting is possible, except for 911 emergency calls.) The device is intended as a tool for parents to help teens develop safe driving habits.

Donath explained that the system provides parents with data about their teen’s driving behavior. This is especially important on rural roads, which account for the majority of fatal highway crashes.

“We bother the parent,” Donath said. “There need to be consequences, and the only people that can really provide the true consequences are the parents.”

Isanti County Judge James Dehn moderated the forum, which also featured presentations by Gordy Pehrson, Youth Traffic Safety and Alcohol Grant coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and Lee Munnich, director of the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety, also at the University of Minnesota.

Earlier that week, Donath demonstrated the TDSS to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and David Strickland, administrator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as part of a teen driving safety forum held June 1 at Tartan High School in Oakdale, Minnesota. “To make a lasting difference, it’s going to take all of us working together—law enforcement, educators, parents and teens,” Klobuchar said. “Ultimately, what we need is a change in what society views as acceptable and unacceptable behavior.”

The TDSS project is sponsored by the ITS Institute and cosponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/forum-highlights-technologyPolice: NJ teen driver, following GPS directions, caused 4-car crashhttp://www.njteendriving.com/teen-driver-following-gpsMon, 17 May 2010 16:53:57 GMTNJteenDrivingBy Charles Webster
GANNETT NEW JERSEY


MANALAPAN — A 17-year-old Marlboro boy driving on a provisional driver's license is being cited by police for causing a four-car collision on Saturday, as he attempted to make an illegal left turn on Route 33 because his GPS "told him to turn left."


The teen, who had two juveniles in the car with him in violation of the state's graduated license rules, was headed westbound on Route 33 in his Ford Mustang when, he told police, his GPS told him to make a left turn onto Sweetmans Lane, police said.


The 17-year-old cut across the eastbound lanes of Route 33 and struck a vehicle on the left side at about 7:50 p.m. Saturday, according to police. The impact turned that car around 180 degrees before it came to rest facing oncoming traffic. The driver of that vehicle was taken to an area hospital after complaining of neck pain.


A third car struck the rear bumper of the Mustang, pushing that car into a spin before it too came to rest facing the eastbound oncoming traffic.


A fourth vehicle traveling in the eastbound lanes swerved left to avoid the multiple car accident scene, when that car struck the curbed median, damaging both right-side tires, and rolling into the westbound lanes before coming to a stop.


The 17-year-old driver, from the Morganville section of Marlboro, was issued motor vehicle summonses for careless driving, making an improper turn and violating the terms of his provisional driver's license.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/teen-driver-following-gpsNight driving is biggest danger for teen drivers, study sayshttp://www.njteendriving.com/night-driving-is-biggest-dangerTue, 11 May 2010 16:51:03 GMTNJteenDrivingUse of cell phones shown to present big risk for drivers, too
By Ashley Halsey Iii
Washington Post

Driving after dark is the single most-dangerous risk a teenage driver can take and is more likely to result in death than drinking, speeding or not wearing a seat belt, according to a national 10-year study of highway fatalities released today.

"Everything points in the same direction for this age group, and that is to the use of cell phones behind the wheel," said Bernie Fette, one of the study's authors. "Whenever you combine the nighttime danger and the cell phone danger with inexperience, you have created a perfect storm."

The report, conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute, used federal traffic fatality data from 1999 to 2008, a period in which the number of traffic deaths declined nationwide. Safer cars, safer highways, seat-belt laws and drunken-driving enforcement have been linked to the drop in fatalities — all factors in darkness and daylight alike.

So why didn't nighttime traffic deaths drop, too?

Among drivers 20 and older, alcohol was a clear culprit in the proportional increase in nighttime deaths. Not so with teenagers, among whom there was a greater increase but no corresponding jump in deaths that could be attributed to drunken driving.

"We have a test to see whether someone's been drinking, but there is no test to see whether you've been on your cell phone," Fette said. "Because teenagers have grown up with these devices in their hands, they feel a comfort level and a very false sense of security. They will tell you, 'I can text with my phone still in my pocket, so I certainly can text while I'm driving.' "

The report adds to data amassed by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who has crusaded for more than a year about the dangers of texting and cell phone use.

"A quarter of all teens admit to texting behind the wheel, and in 2008, the highest proportion of distracted drivers in fatal crashes were under the age of 20," LaHood said. "Teen drivers are some of the most vulnerable drivers on the road due to inexperience, and adding cell phones to the mix only compounds the dangers. We're doing everything possible to get the message out to teens that driving while talking or texting on a cell phone is not worth the risk."

In addition to dismissing the dangers of cell phone use, Fette said, few teenagers are aware that nightfall magnifies the risk posed by their inexperience and fatigue. "More than 80 percent of teens can name alcohol as a driving risk," Fette said, "but only 3 percent are aware that driving at night is dangerous."

The report cites research from the National Sleep Foundation that says the average teen needs nine hours of sleep but gets seven. "The resulting fatigue, especially late at night, can contribute to impairment that is similar to being intoxicated," the Texas Transportation Institute report said. Data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that the crash rate per mile driven for 16-year-olds is almost 10 times the rate for drivers 30 to 59. NHTSA research also has shown that teens killed at night are less likely to be wearing seat belts. About 6,000 teenagers die in car crashes each year.

The Texas research indicates that nighttime driving was the No. 1 risk for fatalities for teen drivers, followed by speed, distractions, failure to wear a seat belt and alcohol use.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/night-driving-is-biggest-dangerMillburn teen indicted on vehicular manslaughter chargeshttp://www.njteendriving.com/millburn-teen-indictedTue, 11 May 2010 16:50:32 GMTNJteenDrivingBy New Jersey Local News Service

April 19, 2010


MILLBURN -- A Millburn teenager will be charged as an adult on first-degree aggravated manslaughter charges stemming from a crash that killed a South Orange man about 15 months ago, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced today.


The teen, Richard M. Chesler, was 17 when his Jeep Cherokee slammed into a Nissan driven by Ari Vuotila, 39, at the corner of Parsonage Hill Road and Long Hill Drive in Millburn on Jan. 27, 2009.


Toxicology results revealed Chesler was driving while impaired. The three-count indictment returned by a county grand jury alleges that Chesler was driving more twice the 25 mph speed limit. The indictment also charged Chesler with vehicular homicide, a first degree offense, and driving while intoxicated within 1,000 feet of a school, a second degree offense.


If convicted, Chesler faces 10 to 30 years in prison.


While the case initially was assigned to the family court, the state sought to have Chesler tried as an adult, because he was alleged to have been driving recklessly.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/millburn-teen-indictedDecals for new drivers go on sale Mondayhttp://www.njteendriving.com/decals-for-new-driversThu, 08 Apr 2010 14:14:15 GMTNJteenDrivingBy Rob Jennings
Gannett New Jersey

Kyleigh's Law decals for new drivers will go on sale starting Monday at all state Motor Vehicle Commission offices.

A new law requiring holders of a Graduated Driver License, primarily teenagers, to display detachable decals on their front and rear license plates or face a $100 ticket will take effect May 1.

It will cost $4 for a pair of decals.

For those with multiple vehicles, or perhaps concerned about chronically misplacing or losing the decals, there will be no limits on how many may be purchased by motorists, MVC spokesman John Santana said Tuesday.

The decal law is aimed at helping police enforce passenger restrictions, driving curfews and other limits placed on motorists with a special learner's permit, examination permit or provisional drivers license.

It is named after Kyleigh D'Alessio, a 16-year-old West Morris Central High School student killed in a 2006 car crash in Washington Township in which another teen was driving.

Her mother, Donna Weeks, lobbied for the law and appeared in Superior Court in Morristown last month when a judge, following a hearing, dismissed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Kyleigh's Law.

The law has generated criticism from those arguing that it could result in teenagers being unfairly targeted by police or perhaps even stalked by predators. Supporters counter that the concerns are unfounded and that enhanced enforcement of GDL restrictions will save lives.

Even without the decals, teen driving safety in New Jersey has been improving. An new AAA Foundation for Safety study found that fatal crashes involving 17-year-olds decreased by 32 percent in the four years following the adoption of the GDL law in 2001.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/decals-for-new-driversNorth Jersey work zones are danger zoneshttp://www.njteendriving.com/north-jersey-work-zonesMon, 05 Apr 2010 18:47:32 GMTNJteenDriving.comBy Karen Rouse
The Record
STAFF WRITER

Motorists plowed into construction work zones 5,247 times last year on New Jersey highways — an 8 percent jump over 2008 — as crews paved, patched potholes or operated heavy equipment.

Eleven of the crashes were fatal, including three in Bergen County, which had 631 work zone crashes, according to the state Department of Transportation. That’s up from 2008, when there were 430.

"It’s scary at times," said Jeff McCarthy of Haledon, who is a traffic-control coordinator with Tilcon Construction. While he was working at a site on Route 23 several years ago "a stolen car came through and hit one of the guys," he recalled. "That was the worst I’ve seen."

Passaic County had 217 work zone crashes last year, a drop from 959 in 2006, state data show. County spokesman Keith Furlong said county officials aren’t sure what is behind the decline.

The figures may reflect more road and highway projects in Bergen County, and fewer in Passaic County, said Joe Dee, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

"We don’t have data, but it’s safe to say the number of work zones has a direct effect on the number of crashes," he said. "If you don’t have any work zones, you don’t have a lot of [work zone] crashes."

The agency has launched two studies — totaling $336,500 — aimed at pinpointing where work zone crashes occur, and what traffic devices could reduce their frequency.

"Is it right where the work zone begins, or in the middle of the work zone where there is a lot of equipment and workers are concentrated?" Dee said. "We want to look at these statistics."

The New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation are conducting the studies, which should be complete by the end of 2012, Dee said.

Preliminary data show nearly a quarter of work zone crashes from 2006 to 2008 in New Jersey resulted in injuries, and roughly 75 percent caused property damage.

Speeding and tailgating are often to blame when drivers crash in a work zone, said Diane Hurns, spokeswoman for the Illinois-based American Society of Safety Engineers, which recently released national standards on work zone safety.

"You can tell people 3 million times to slow down in a work zone and they don’t," she said.

Pam Fischer, director of the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety, said speeding motorists are sometimes caught off-guard when traffic patterns suddenly shift in a work zone.

"You’re out there driving your car and you’re going a high rate of speed and all of a sudden, you encounter an uneven pavement. You go flying," Fischer said.

"These are people out there," she said of the workers. "They’re really vulnerable."

Bob Stevralia, an official with Laborers’ Union Local 472, which represents 6,000 construction industry workers in North Jersey, knows that firsthand.

"People sometimes take us for granted," he said. "We blend in with the drums and cones. But that’s a guy working out there."

He said there were few rules in the 1970s and 1980s to protect construction crews because there was less traffic. But in the 1990s, with more roads and more drivers, "we started to lose people."

In the 1990s, three workers were killed in one incident when a car jumped a barrier and struck them "in one shot."

That marked a turning point and led to the creation of a statewide Work Zone Safety Partnership, he said.

Members included construction workers, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, the state Transportation Department, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, Rutgers University and state police, said Claudia Knezek, a partnership founder.

She said the original intent of the 15-year-old partnership was to reduce "the carnage on the roadway," but it has since become focused on safety for drivers and workers.

Knezek said a large number of crashes in work zones involve teen drivers who are speeding or don’t understand the signs. And when crashes are fatal, the victim is usually someone in the vehicle — not a construction worker.

The partnership was able to make improvements to equipment, like better safety vests, standardized flags and the use of concrete Jersey barriers, Knezek said.

State police created a "construction unit" in 1993 with troopers trained in work zone construction procedures who guard the sites, monitor traffic and enforce traffic laws.

It’s an added layer of protection for workers who know a crash can occur at any time, he said.

"Suddenly you’re standing there and here comes this car," he said. "Night just adds a whole different horror to it. Not only are you in the traffic, but it’s dark. There’s going to be people out there under the influence."

In addition, Local 472 created a new work site position. The traffic-control coordinator is a trained worker who oversees the work zone site setup before construction begins.

"He goes out and sets up all the drums and the signs, where they are to place the plans," Stevralia said.

Most work zone crashes occur on state or interstate highways like Route 287, Route 17 or the New Jersey Turnpike, according to preliminary figures from NJIT researchers.

Two workers were killed on the turnpike in 2008 when a driver fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into the work area, said Sean Hill, director of operations at the Turnpike Authority.

He said the agency has an internal work zone safety committee that meets quarterly to discuss accidents and ways to improve safety for motorists and workers.

One practice is using impact attenuator trucks as a buffer between flowing traffic and workers in construction zones. If there is a crash, the truck absorbs the impact, he said.

As a traffic-control coordinator on construction sites, McCarthy looks at blueprints, checks sign placement and drives by the work zone himself to see how well drivers can see.

He said distracted drivers are a growing problem.

"They’re busy doing something," McCarthy said. "Now, it’s phones. At times, I get scared."

E-mail: rouse@northjersey.com





]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/north-jersey-work-zonesMay 1 is deadline for teen driver decals in New Jerseyhttp://www.njteendriving.com/deadline-for-teen-driver-decalsFri, 26 Mar 2010 16:11:55 GMTNJteenDriving.comKyleigh's Law: Provisional plates require red tags

By LARRY HIGGS
TRANSPORTATION WRITER

Donna Weeks saw her vision — and a tribute to her daughter, who was a passenger killed in a car accident — become reality today.

A red, rectangular decal that attaches to the upper left side of the front and rear license plates, signifying for police that the driver is a teenager with a provisional license — a requirement that Weeks lobbied for — was unveiled at a news conference at the motor vehicle agency here.

The law requiring display of the decals, which takes effect on May 1, is named in memory of Kyleigh D'Alessio, a 16-year-old West Morris Central High School student killed in a 2006 crash in Washington Township, Morris County, in which another teenager was driving.

"I heard her voice say to me to do something," Weeks, of Long Valley, said after the ceremony. "The name was (then Assemblyman) Guy Gregg's idea. I just wanted to get it out there."

New Jersey became the first state requiring teen drivers who still have a provisional or graduated license to display a decal that identifies them to police, said Raymond P. Martinez, Motor Vehicle Commission chief administrator.

"It's really meant as an aid to law enforcement. We don't need a big scarlet letter so law enforcement can identify an individual on probationary status to make sure they are complying," Martinez said.

Slightly more stringent regulations for probationary drivers take effect May 1, including a curfew on driving between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., and being restricted to having one passenger in the vehicle who isn't a parent, guardian or supervising driver. Teen drivers also would be prohibited from using any electronic device while driving, including hand-free cell phones.

The decal requirement doesn't apply to teenage drivers who have a regular, non-graduated license, Martinez said. Graduated or probationary licenses have the letter "Z" listed as a restriction.

Teenage drivers and parents can begin buying the removable decals at motor vehicle agencies on April 12 for $4 a pair.

Youthful appeal

Despite the number of dignitaries present, Kyleigh's 7-year-old brother, Tyler Weeks, stole the show, reading a statement that he wrote and talking to television reporters. Although he was 4 at the time of Kyleigh's death, he told the crowd, which included high school students, about his sister and his support for safety.

"I'd ask all teen drivers please be thoughtful with friends in the car," Tyler said.

Donna Weeks assured teen drivers, some some from Communications High School in Wall, that Kyleigh's Law doesn't make GDL requirements more stringent and told parents they need to be more involved when their teenager is a probationary driver.

"It will be their protection for the first year of driving," Weeks said.

Razhon Forbes, 17, of Asbury Park said he was more concerned that there would be more restrictions on his licenses than about having to display the decals.

"It (the decal) doesn't seem as bad. . . . It makes us follow the rules, earlier," said Forbes, who was among the students from Communications High. "As long as I'm following the rules, I don't have to worry about having a decal on my car."

Attorney General Paula Dow referred to an unsuccessful lawsuit brought against the decal requirement and said it is constitutional.

"It's been in use in Canada, England, Japan and Australia," Dow said. "Motor vehicle accidents are the No. 1 cause of death of teens in New Jersey."

Decals were among 14 essential recommendations in the March 2008 Teen Driver Study Commission report and nine of them are either implemented or in the process now, said Pam Fischer, state Division of Highway Traffic safety director.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/deadline-for-teen-driver-decalsTeen killed, man injured in Medford accidenthttp://www.njteendriving.com/teen-killed-man-injuredTue, 16 Mar 2010 13:50:09 GMTNJteenDriving.comBurlington County Times

A Mount Laurel teenager was killed and a 65-year-old Medford man was injured Monday afternoon in a two-vehicle accident on Hartford Road in Medford, police said.

According to investigators, Deanna Ormerod, 18, of Church Road was driving north on Hartford Road at 3:45 p.m. when her vehicle collided in the southbound lane with an oncoming vehicle driven by Edward Thorn of Bretshire Court.

Ormerod was killed in the accident and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Thorn had to be cut free from his vehicle wreckage. He was then airlifted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden for treatment of lower leg and chest injuries. His condition was not available.

Hartford Road was closed for several hours while police investigated the accident.

The accident was the fourth fatal to occur in Burlington County this year, according to New Jersey State Police records.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/teen-killed-man-injuredCar runs off roadway, crashes into house in Bernardsvillehttp://www.njteendriving.com/car-runs-off-roadway-crashesWed, 10 Mar 2010 18:39:54 GMTNJteenDriving.comBERNARDSVILLE – A teen driver using a learner’s permit ran off Essex Avenue and into a house on Tuesday morning, Feb. 9, but no injuries were reported.

Police said a borough female, who was not identified because she was under age 18, was heading east on Essex Avenue in a 2002 Kia Sedona, with her mother supervising her from the passenger seat, when the crash occurred at about 7:39 a.m.

The teen mistakenly applied the accelerator instead of the brakes, police said, leading the car to leave the roadway to the right, across the driveway of 26 Essex Ave., first striking a tree and then hitting the house.

The crash caused “significant damage” to the dwelling’s foundation and tore off the electrical service box, according to police.

The vehicle was towed away by Defalcos Towing Company of Chatham.

Originally posted in The Bernardsville News





]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/car-runs-off-roadway-crashes