News Bloghttp://www.njteendriving.comTue, 07 Sep 2010 23:55:22 GMTMY 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-crashesTeens do better with parents who set limitshttp://www.njteendriving.com/teens-do-betterTue, 16 Feb 2010 17:24:40 GMTNJteenDriving.comBy Kim Painter
Gannett ContentOne

Here's some good news for parents of tweens and teens: You rule.

That may be hard to believe sometimes. And it's true kids won't always follow your health and safety rules. But studies show parents who keep setting boundaries make a huge difference. In other words, "parenting works," even for teens, says Alanna Levine, a pediatrician in Tappan, N.Y., and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A survey on media use by the Kaiser Family Foundation found typical kids ages 8 to 18 spend an astounding seven hours and 38 minutes a day consuming entertainment media, drinking deeply from the fire hose of TV, computers, game consoles, cell phones, music players and other devices. Many experts, including the pediatrics academy, consider that much screen time bad for mental and physical health. But the study also found that kids whose parents set any time or content limits were plugged in for three hours less each day. "Parents can have a big influence," says Kaiser researcher Vicky Rideout.

Road rules

And it doesn't stop with screen time. Other recent studies have found:

Teens who had a bedtime of 10 p.m. or earlier, set by parents, got more sleep and were less likely to be depressed or consider suicide than those allowed to stay up past midnight. (The study was published in Sleep in January.)

Teen drivers whose parents set and enforced rules were more likely to wear seat belts and less likely to speed, get in crashes, drink and drive, or use cell phones while driving. (That study was in Pediatrics in September.)

Teens whose parents set rules also smoke less, delay sex and do better in school, research shows.

"The reality is that teenagers care deeply what their parents think," says Kenneth Ginsburg, author of the driving study and a specialist in adolescent medicine at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "The challenge for parents is to get across rules and boundaries in a way that doesn't feel controlling."

Limits worth effort

Still, achieving just-right parenting is "challenging," says Margaret Broe-Fitzpatrick, a teacher in Kensington, Md., who has four children, ages 8 to 16. "There are so many different things to keep track of." She and her husband keep their kids busy with sports and other activities, limit screen time and review the music their children download. They talk with their 16-year-old son about the rules he'll face when he gets a driver's license soon. But, she says, they can't police everything the kids encounter on the Internet or in friends' homes.

Making an effort is worthwhile, she says: "Even if young people may protest at first, they do feel more safe and secure when limits are set."

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/teens-do-betterTeen Charged with DWI; 2 Killed in Crashhttp://www.njteendriving.com/teen-charged-with-dwiWed, 03 Feb 2010 21:13:19 GMTNJteenDriving.comIt was a horrific scene on a quiet Central Islip street Thursday morning. In a pre-dawn crash, a 1997 Lexus was literally ripped to pieces after striking two trees, with human body parts and debris strewn everywhere.

"It was the worst car accident I've ever seen," said Suffolk Police Detective Sergeant William Rand. "I am amazed anyone walked away from it."

Five people were in the car; two died, according to police. The victims were identified as Kelly Mallazzo, 18 of Hauppauge and Kenyen Gaskins, 23 of Central Islip. Gaskins home was about a block from the scene.

The driver, Taylor Nolte, 19 of Centereach survived but she is now charged with drunk driving. Beer cans were found in the car, according to investigators.

"It appears they had been out in the car all night, drinking," said Det. Sgt. Rand.

Friends of the victims left candles, flowers and balloons at the crash site.

"I can't believe this happened to him," Ashley Norval said of Gaskins. "He was such a great person."

Gaskins, friends said, was about to enroll at Suffolk Community College.

Speed also played a role in the crash, investigators said. It was estimated the Lexus was hurtling down the street at over 80 mph before Nolte lost control.

Nolte remains hospitalized with two other unidentified men, ages 25 and 20, who also survived the wreck.

Friends said Nolte was about to join the Marines Corps.

"She is a good person, who would never hurt anyone," said Casey Knol.

Nolte will be arraigned on drunk driving charges when she is released from the hospital, officials said, but eventually those charges could be upgraded.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/teen-charged-with-dwiAfter crash, teen discovers a new missionhttp://www.njteendriving.com/after-crash-teenThu, 10 Dec 2009 15:01:24 GMTNJteenDriving.comTHE RECORD, HACKENSACK, N.J.

Struggling with traumatic brain injury, Michael Nepola of Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J. sometimes has trouble finding the right words to describe his life. But he's clear about what he has to say to the students to whom he is telling his story.

Life-changing disaster awaits the drunken driver. And he is proof.

At just 18 years of age, he could be a classmate or a friend, and that familiarity adds to the power of his words. He has spoken to more than 2,500 high school students so far, and he has noticed their unusual silence.

"A lot of teachers say, 'Don't drink,' but I'm not going to say that, because I know that [students are] going to do it," says the Ho-Ho-Kus resident. "I just say, 'Don't get in a car.'"

One year ago, a drunken Nepola lost control of his car and was thrown into trees 20 feet away. He was found covered in blood, with many bones broken.

At Hackensack University Medical Center, his skull was opened to relieve pressure on his brain. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and remained in a coma and on life support for nearly three weeks.

It was summer. Moments before the crash, he had been with friends, drinking and having fun. Then restlessness got the best of them, and they hopped into the car.

Two passengers escaped unscathed, but for Nepola, life would not be the same. His doctors were left guessing at his future. His family was horrified and shocked.

At Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. physical therapist Erin Leahy initially found Nepola unable to move the right side of his body. But by the end of his six-week stay, he was able walk out of the building.

Leahy called that an inspiration and a miracle. Nurse Meliam Gonzalez, the trauma prevention coordinator and clinical educator at Children's Specialized who organizes Nepola's speaking engagements, refers to him as a "superstar" -- transformed from a boy involved in a car crash to a young man. And his family calls him a hero.

But Nepola's recovery is incomplete. Brain and muscular therapy has helped him regain movement in his right arm, but he still struggles with his right hand.

In the process of recovery, Nepola has thought deeply about what happened and why, and decided to share his story. Encouraged by his trauma doctor, Sanjeev Kaul, he teamed with Gonzales and began attending assemblies in April.

He said he was nervous at first, but has grown used to the spotlight. And his rehabilitation and visible trauma help him draw serious attention from students. Besides, "I'm not a wall," he said. "I feel like I know how to talk to people."

Driving drunk, he tells students, is like playing Russian roulette: "You might do it a bunch of times, but something is going to happen."

Before the crash, he says, he lived moment to moment. He didn't care about the future or college. He liked to have fun and was the "craziest kid" -- a thrill-seeking all-around athlete in great shape with a lot of friends. Now, his days are all about therapy, work and going to the gym. It's a simple life, but it's OK, given what he has experienced.

Mentally, he says, "I'm a lot happier in my life."

His odyssey is chronicled in a video, available on his Web site: onebadecision.com.

Dad John Nepola says there have been some low times, but Michael's made it through.

"He was a fighter," said John Nepola. "We're all really proud of him."

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/after-crash-teenCrash victims seek crackdown on texting drivershttp://www.njteendriving.com/crash-victims-seek-crackdownMon, 30 Nov 2009 19:05:10 GMTNJteenDriving.comDOVER -- David and Linda Kubert remember everything from that September day.

They’d been out together on their Harley, riding along a winding road in Morris County.

They can picture the curve ahead, the pickup truck coming toward them. They can see the young driver through the windshield, his elbows on the steering wheel, his face angled down toward what police would later determine was his cell phone.

"The next minute we were on the ground," Linda Kubert said.

David and Linda Kubert, of Dover, each lost a leg when their motorcycle was struck by a pickup truck driven by a teen driver they say was texting. The couple are pushing for stronger penalties for drivers texting while driving.

Both she and her husband lost a leg in the crash. The teenage driver received three tickets that could result in a fine.

Nearly a dozen surgeries later, the Kuberts have begun a campaign to put more teeth into penalties for motorists who flout New Jersey’s ban on using cell phones without hands-free equipment.

The Dover couple, both 56, say they’re particularly troubled by what they consider the weak punishment for those who text-message behind the wheel, an activity shown by research to be far more dangerous than driving drunk.

"You take somebody’s life or you hurt someone, I think you should go to jail," Linda Kubert said. "We’re in jail, kind of. We’re prisoners here, basically."

The crash that changed the Kuberts’ life occurred Sept. 21 in Mine Hill, not far from their home. The Kuberts were on their motorcycle, with David in front. In the seconds afterward, David Kubert knew he was in desperate shape.

"My leg is off," he recalls crying out to his wife. Then, seeing her sprawled on the pavement, he struggled to crawl toward her.

They underwent more than six hours of surgery at Morristown Memorial Hospital. Doctors were uncertain whether David Kubert would live.

The driver of the pickup truck, 18-year-old Kyle Best of Wharton, was issued summonses by a Wharton police officer for using a cell phone without a hands-free device, careless driving, and making an unsafe lane change. Best did not return a call for comment, and the family turned away a reporter who knocked on the door Friday.

Authorities, saying the case remains under investigation, have not specified whether Best was talking or text-messaging at the time of the crash. Either way, the Kuberts contend, the teen was clearly distracted when he crossed the center line.

Their hope is that with stronger penalties in place, motorists will think twice before picking up the phone. The fine for texting or talking without a hands-free device now stands at $100. "One hundred dollars doesn’t even pay for our medicine," Linda Kubert said, referring to the two dozen pill bottles that sit atop the refrigerator in the couple’s home. "What’s $100 to somebody these days?"

The Kuberts’ campaign, like their recovery, is in its early stages. David Kubert has written a letter to state Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who is expected to become Senate president next year. Kubert said he plans to write to several more legislators, asking them to toughen the law.

"There have to be stricter penalties," David Kubert said. "That’s the only thing that is going to stop it."

Researchers have long warned about the perils of talking on a cell phone while driving. More recently, attention has turned to texting, a far more immersive activity than speaking.

One study by the Transport Research Laboratory, a Britain-based group that examines road and vehicle safety, found that a driver’s reaction time slowed 35 percent when text-messaging. By contrast, reaction time slowed 12 percent among motorists whose blood alcohol level was at the legal limit.

A separate study released in July by researchers at Virginia Tech found that motorists who text are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or a near-crash than drivers who are not distracted.

New Jersey is one of 19 states banning text-messaging for all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, but only in Utah do penalties approach the punishment for driving under the influence.

Under Utah’s law, which took effect in May, someone caught texting and driving faces up to three months in jail and a fine up to $750. If an accident causes injury or death, the penalty may be increased to as much as 15 years in prison, with a fine up to $10,000.

New Jersey law enforcement agencies issue an average of 10,000 citations each month for cell phone violations, said Pam Fischer, director of the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety. The problem, Fischer said, is that nearly everyone today uses cell phones in their cars.

And despite the dangers, many of them are texting. In a survey by the AAA Foundation, one in seven drivers admitted to texting behind the wheel. Another survey, released just last week, found the problem to be even worse among the youngest drivers.

According to the survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center, a quarter of teenage drivers admitted to texting, and almost half said they’d been passengers when another teen texted behind the wheel.

READJUSTED LIVES

The Kuberts recognize the difficulty of forcing change, but they’re approaching it with the same determination they’ve applied to their own recovery.

They are recuperating at a relatively fast pace, and doctors believe both will be able to walk again with the help of prosthetics. So far they have avoided infection.Throughout the grueling process, they’ve learned how much they miss little pleasures.

"Taking a shower, you know," Linda Kubert said. "Getting up out of bed at night. You can’t just get up out of bed. Chasing around my grandchildren. We can’t go to the grocery store."

They know that time will come. David Kubert, a Verizon employee, said he plans to return to work. He’s equally eager to get back on a motorcycle.

Both he and his wife are members of the North Jersey Legends HOG chapter, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle club. Over the summer, they rode through Maine, New Hampshire and Canada.

They say they look forward to the day when they can climb on a Harley together, perhaps knowing their advocacy work has prevented a lost limb or a lost life."Nobody thinks it can happen to them," Linda Kubert said. "We don’t want to see this happen to someone else."

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/crash-victims-seek-crackdownTeens, cops team up to make driver safety video in Colts Neckhttp://www.njteendriving.com/teens-cops-team-upWed, 25 Nov 2009 19:02:25 GMTNJteenDriving.comBy Kim Predham
FREEHOLD BUREAU

For their dedication to teen driver safety, several lucky teenagers got a special reward Monday.

Seven members of Project Lundy — a student-run peer education group based at Freehold Township High School — braved the cold Monday to film a training video on the state's Graduated Driver License law, which affects drivers between the ages of 16 and 20.

The video, produced by NJN and the state's Division of Highway Traffic Safety, will be distributed to law enforcement personnel throughout the state — the first comprehensive video on the law since its enactment eight years ago, according to the division's director, Pam Fischer.

"Nobody educated them (police officers) . . . These are the men and women who are out there enforcing these laws," Fischer said.

State officials hope to have the video ready in time for several regulations that will go into effect next year.

Drivers holding a permit or provisional license must display a special decal on their vehicles. Drivers with a provisional license — which will be renamed a "probationary" license — also will be subject to a new curfew of 11 p.m. versus midnight and a one-passenger limit, unless a parent or guardian is in the vehicle. Any dependents of the license holder are excluded from the provision.

On Monday, the Freehold Township students acted out several scenarios at and around Colts Neck High School, including one of a young driver with too many passengers in his vehicle.

"We're not saying teens are bad drivers. They're inexperienced," said Steven Anderson, Freehold Township High School assistant principal and Project Lundy adviser.

Project Lundy members emphasize to teen drivers the need to reduce their distractions (like multiple passengers), slow down and wear seat belts, Anderson said.

Members talk to sophomores throughout the Freehold Regional High School District, participate in teen driving programs held for juniors, and address parents in every school in the district, Anderson said.

The group was formed in 2007 in response to a crash that killed four people, including Freehold High School junior Andrew Lundy. Lundy lived in Freehold Township.

"It definitely has an effect on all our peers," said Ken Brophy, 17, of Freehold Township.

Brophy was one of the seniors chosen to participate in Monday's film shoot.

Last year, the number of teenage drivers and passengers killed in motor-vehicle crashes in New Jersey decreased for the third straight year — 59 in 2008, compared to 68 in 2007 and 73 in 2006.

"That's what we hope to do — keep that number (dropping) down to zero," said Brophy's classmate, 17-year-old Alex Szelest of Freehold Township.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/teens-cops-team-upTeen charged in fatal crashhttp://www.njteendriving.com/teen-charged-in-fatal-crashMon, 23 Nov 2009 14:54:38 GMTNJteenDriving.comBy: CHRISTOPHER RUVO
The Intelligencer

A teenager has been charged with homicide by vehicle and related offenses in connection with a Warrington car crash that killed a Central Bucks South High School student in September.

Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry said the charges were filed Thursday. Henry would not release the accused teen's name or say why authorities believe charges are warranted.

"We can't say much because the person is a juvenile," Henry said.

The teen's case will be heard in juvenile court. Penalties could range from probation to being placed in a juvenile detention center if the teen is adjudicated delinquent, said Henry.

At the time of the accident, Warrington police identified the driver of the vehicle as a 17-year-old Warrington girl. Police said the teen and her passengers were students at CB South.

One of those passengers, Alexandra Smolin, 16, died after the driver lost control around a slight curve in the road. The car, a white Chevrolet Cobalt, spun across the road and slammed sideways into a tree.

Alexandra was in the back seat of the car that was traveling east on Street Road. Warrington Police Chief James J. Miller said the rear passenger side of the vehicle sustained the brunt of the impact.

Alexandra was declared dead at the scene. The 17-year-old driver and another passenger, a 16-year-old male from Warrington, were taken to Abington Memorial Hospital, police said. Both were treated and released.

Alexandra moved to Warrington from St. Lucie County, Fla., about three weeks before the crash. She had just started her junior year at CB South.

Christopher Ruvo can be reached at 215-345-3147 or cruvo@phillyburbs.com

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/teen-charged-in-fatal-crashTexting driver hit bicyclist, police sayhttp://www.njteendriving.com/texting-driver-hitWed, 18 Nov 2009 14:27:34 GMTNJteenDriving.comTexting driver hit bicyclist, police say

By Jim Walsh
GANNETT NEW JERSEY

Lisa Granert wore a reflective vest as she bicycled along Route 70, police said, but that offered no protection against the driver coming her way.

Medford police allege the motorist, Robert J. Sharrer, 28, of Browns Mills, was texting behind the wheel so he could arrange a drug deal when his car drifted onto the road's shoulder and hit Granert at about 6 p.m. Monday.

The collision, which hospitalized the Cherry Hill woman, came as police were searching along Route 70 for a vehicle that met the description of Sharrer's 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Other motorists had reported an erratic driver shortly before the accident occurred on the westbound side of the highway.

Granert, 42, suffered head injuries in the accident, just west of Route 541. The Elbow Lane resident "is known to travel this roadway daily and was wearing a reflective-style traffic vest," police said.

Granert struck her head on the car's windshield before falling to the ground, police said. She was flown to the trauma unit at Cooper University Hospital, Camden. Her condition was not known Tuesday.

According to police, Sharrer said he was texting while driving "regarding the sale of prescription (drugs) in his possession at the time of the crash."

Sharrer, who said he did not recall the collision, was taken to a hospital to submit blood samples, police said.

The New Jersey Avenue man was charged with drug possession with the intent to distribute. More charges are pending, police said

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/texting-driver-hitGrieving family acts to aid young drivershttp://www.njteendriving.com/grieving-familyMon, 16 Nov 2009 14:50:24 GMTNJteenDriving.comSimulators are a way of remembering Ryan Fitzpatrick.

By Rita Giordano
Inquirer Staff Writer

Although his graduation portrait hangs at Shawnee High School, Ryan Fitzpatrick never got to walk down the commencement aisle with his fellow seniors. He never made it to the prom. He will never play college football.

On April 26, less than mile from his Medford home, Fitzpatrick was killed when he lost control of the SUV he was driving, possibly swerving to avoid a deer. He had turned 18 just the month before.

Within days of his death, the grief-racked Fitzpatrick family went into action. They launched a fund-raising campaign to buy driving simulators to help other young people prepare for the hazards of the road.

Shawnee now has two simulators, and a third is slated for delivery later this month. A fourth is planned. The hope is to raise money to buy simulators for Lenape Regional High School District's three other general schools.

"That's what we're trying to do," said Dan Fitzpatrick, Ryan's father. "To keep any other family from going through this."

Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2007, the most recent year for which statistics are available, more than 4,200 people ages 15 to 19 were killed in accidents, and nearly 400,000 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for crash-related injuries.

Most states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, have some form of graduated licensing - known to reduce accidents involving young drivers. Next year in New Jersey, tougher new requirements for novice drivers will go into effect, including greater limits on passengers and a vehicle decal identifying new drivers. Teen auto deaths in the Garden State decreased in 2008 for the third consecutive year.

In Pennsylvania, crashes and fatalities involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers have declined overall since graduated licensing took effect in 1999.

But across the nation, youth driver training and regulation vary greatly. And, in the face of budget constraints and past negative reports, many school districts over the last couple of decades have discontinued or limited driver education.

Out of this uneven landscape, families like the Fitzpatricks have become part of a fellowship none would have chosen - one propelled by loss and the desire to channel grief into a higher purpose: They have become advocates for better driver's ed.

In Georgia, for example, Alan Brown of Cartersville campaigned for the driver's education-boosting Joshua's Law, named for his son who, at 17, was killed in a single-car crash in 2003. Among the law's provisions, a portion of the state's traffic violation fines is supposed to go toward driver education. Some has been spent on simulators like the ones at Shawnee.

In New York, another parent, Penney Gentile of Cooperstown, whose son Chris, 18, died in a crash in 2007, and Lindsay Rowley, one of Chris' schoolmates, won passage of a bill to review driver's ed statewide. They also got legislative funding for simulators at Cooperstown High School.

"When a parent loses a child, they have to try to make some sense," said Van Flanigan, vice president of Virtual Driver Interactive (VDI), which manufactures the simulators that are at Shawnee and other schools. She has worked with several of the parent advocates.

"I know of at least six or eight people who have made this their life's work, and I'm sure there are dozens and dozens," she said.

Simulators, of course, are just one aspect of driver education. They don't take the place of real driving. Yet while the technology hasn't been conclusively proven to reduce accidents, many road-safety experts advocate simulators to help prepare novice drivers.

Early this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, along with good-driving organizations, released recommended driver-education standards that included using simulators to enhance instruction.

Driver's ed in the 21st century, however, doesn't come cheap - $18,000 for a new model of the kind of simulator now at Shawnee.

Dan Fitzpatrick, who has an air-purification company, said VDI told him he could get a model used for demonstrations for $9,500.

Of course, the money had to be raised. A big boost came from the New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co., the family's insurer. The company gave $10,600 toward one of the first simulators. Altogether the fund has raised $30,000, but the Fitzpatricks have a way to go before they reach their goal of simulators for all the Lenape Regional schools.

So far, the machines are going over big at Shawnee, where all sophomores take driver's ed but don't get road practice. That was dropped several years ago due to fiscal constraints, according to principal Matthew Campbell.

One day last week, students used the simulators to practice obeying traffic signals, making turns, and driving in various conditions.

Jon Lashkevich, 16, tried snow driving.

"You can see how you slide, and the brakes don't work as easy," he said.

Chris Stegmuller, 15, sim-drove in the rain and got a sense of driving under the influence of alcohol, including the police stop.

"They put in crazy drivers, and you have to slow down and let people cross the street," said Lindsay Dougherty, 15.

"Everything the machine is doing is installing good habits," said Corey Jones, 16.

It won't even let students start driving if they haven't fastened their seat belts - something Dan Fitzpatrick said could have saved Ryan's life.

Patricia Fitzpatrick, a nurse, said her son had had his driver's license less than six months. As it was, she made him wait a year from when he got his permit for that added maturity.

But the crash happened anyway. Dan Fitzpatrick said Ryan had just driven a friend home. The road markings indicated he might have been trying to avoid a deer, his father said. The 1999 Ford Expedition, which the Fitzpatricks bought because they thought there was safety in size, hit a tree, and Ryan was ejected.

The Shawnee community took the death hard. A popular student, Ryan was a defensive tackle on the football team. He had been recruited to play for Delaware Valley College in Doylestown. His older brother, Dan, 20, attends Drexel University.

The Fitzpatricks want current and future Shawnee students to stay mindful of what happened to Ryan. Recently, commemorative plaques were installed on the simulators. On one is a message from Dan and Patricia Fitzpatrick, titled "Remembering Ryan":

"If remembering what happened to Ryan helps you to make the right decisions when driving, then just maybe he will have helped to save your life."

To Donate
Contributions to the Ryan Fitzpatrick Memorial Fund may be submitted to TD Bank, 517 Stokes Rd., Medford, N.J. 08055.

Contact staff writer Rita Giordano at 856-779-3841 or rgiordano@phillynews.com.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/grieving-familyDriven to Distractionhttp://www.njteendriving.com/driven-to-distractionTue, 03 Nov 2009 14:58:22 GMTElisabeth RosenthalWhen Texting Kills, Britain Offers Path to Prison
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

OXFORD, England — Inside the imposing British Crown Court here, Phillipa Curtis, 22, and her parents cried as she was remanded for 21 months to a high-security women’s prison, for killing someone much like herself. The victim was Victoria McBryde, an up-and-coming university-trained fashion designer.

Ms. Curtis had plowed her Peugeot into the rear end of Ms. McBryde’s neon yellow Fiat, which had broken down on the A40 Motorway, killing Ms. McBryde, 24, instantly.

The crash might once have been written off as a tragic accident. Ms. Curtis’s alcohol level was zero. But her phone, which had flown onto the road and was handed to the police by a witness, told a story that — under new British sentencing guidelines — would send its owner to jail.

In the hour before the crash, she had exchanged nearly two dozen messages with at least five friends, most concerning her encounter with a celebrity singer she had served at the restaurant where she worked.

They are filled with the mangled spellings and abbreviations that typify the new lingua franca of the young. “LOL did you sing to her?” a friend asks. Ms. Curtis replies by typing in an expletive and adding, “I sang the wrong song.” A last incoming message, never opened, came in seconds before the accident.

With that as evidence, Ms. Curtis was sentenced in February under 2008 British government directives that regard prolonged texting as a serious aggravating factor in “death by dangerous driving” — just like drinking — and generally recommend four to seven years in prison.

The case reveals the tensions that arise when law enforcement and the courts begin to crack down on a dangerous habit that has become widespread and socially acceptable. Is texting while driving bad judgment, or a heinous crime? And what is the appropriate punishment?

Upon hearing the sentence, prosecutors — backed by the police and Ms. McBryde’s mother — quickly appealed to Britain’s highest court for a longer prison term, calling 21 months “unduly lenient.”

“She came across as a lovely young girl, and I’m sure it wasn’t a nice feeling for the judge to send someone like this to prison — but someone is dead because of a text message,” said Bill Sykes, the officer who responded to the crash and led the subsequent investigation.

But many young people, among them the dead woman’s own siblings and friends, disagreed, sympathizing also with Phillipa Curtis. “I think Phillipa’s sentence was long enough, as she seemed like such a normal girl,” said Gemma Pancoust, the victim’s cousin and close friend, with whom she liked to sing karaoke to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” “Until Tory’s death I texted while driving, as have most people. I don’t think she realized the danger she was causing.”

Indeed, the victim herself had sent a text message and talked on her cellphone (using the speaker function) while driving before her car broke down, according to the testimony of a friend with whom she had the 20-minute phone conversation. It is illegal in Britain to use a hand-held phone while driving, and drivers using hands-free phones may be fined if they are deemed not in control of the vehicle.

Although most European countries and a minority of American states now ban the use of hand-held cellphones while driving, Britain has become one of the more aggressive countries in attacking the problem, according to Ellen Townsend, policy director for the European Transit Safety Council, which advises the European Commission.

Britain’s new guidelines state that using a hand-held phone when causing a death will “always make the offense more serious” in terms of punishment and lead to prison time. Texting is given special treatment.

Ms. Curtis was found guilty and sent to prison even though she was not texting at the time of the accident, because the new guidelines regard “reading or composing text messages over a period of time” as “a gross avoidable distraction.” Its effect, British judges have ruled, may go beyond the moment of composing a message. Such behavior is categorized the same as driving while drunk or high on drugs, as well as racing another driver.

On the night of Nov. 20, 2007, the victim, Ms. McBryde, was on her way to visit a friend when she got a flat tire at night on the highway.She pulled to the edge of the road, two lanes in each direction, but because there was no shoulder where her car broke down, part of the vehicle extended into the outer lane. When the towing service she called could not respond, she was frightened and called her mother, Jennifer Ford, who said she would call the Automobile Club again.

In the meantime, Ms. Ford told her daughter to make sure the flashers were on and that she was pulled off the road. “She was like, ‘Mom, of course I did these things,’ ” Ms. Ford recalled in an interview.

When she called her daughter back 20 minutes later, no one answered. By that time Victoria McBryde was dead.

Police photos show an impossibly crumpled car. The belongings of its owner, a pet lover who designed wild outfits and paraphernalia for pets, were strewn about: bright pink scarves, a brown shearling coat, red gloves, a tangle of leopard skin print.

In court, the case centered on the fact that Ms. Curtis had made no effort to brake or swerve to avoid the disabled Fiat. She testified that she had never seen the other car, though road studies performed by the police demonstrated that it should have been visible from about 300 yards back on the highway.

Ms. Curtis said she believed she could drive and text at the same time, saying that she did not have to look at the keyboard or the screen to have a conversation. Like many phones, hers had predictive text — the phone would fix spelling and find the right word if she typed in a rough approximation.

“I don’t think I should be chatting away while maneuvering roundabouts,” she said in testimony, adding that she would probably have slowed down while composing messages and that texting while driving might be safe “in the right conditions.”

The police disagreed. “How could she not see it, given that the night was clear and the car’s lights were on?” Mr. Sykes said. “She was clearly distracted.”During the trial, the lawyer who defended Ms. Curtis, Richard Latham, proved that Ms. Curtis was not sending a message in the moments before the crash. But a new text message had arrived just seconds before she plowed into the Fiat. And prosecutors contended that, in light of the long preceding text message conversation, the ping of the incoming message distracted her so that she did not notice Ms. McBryde’s disabled car.

Although cellphone records showed that the message was never opened, prosecutors said she was unable to resist trying to do so. “Since she had read all messages before, she was probably looking to read this one, too,” Mr. Sykes said.

The jury deliberated only 50 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. Ms. Curtis and her family did not respond to requests for an interview through her lawyer.The lord chief justice of England and Wales, Lloyd Jones, heard the appeal to extend the 21-month prison term. While concluding that the punishment was “lenient” and “arguably it was unduly so,” he declined.

He cited Ms. Curtis’s “positive good character” as well as her “genuine remorse” over the collision. Equally important, he said, she had already been assigned a release date from prison, making an extension cruel. But in an impassioned decision he also made it clear that the courts are now poised to take this crime seriously.Victoria McBryde’s family, which used to celebrate holidays in their rural home with huge meals and Christmas trees they had cut themselves, has struggled. Her mother, who moved out of the family house, now lives in a shared home in Northampton and from a nearby Internet cafe wages a campaign for tougher laws.Ms. Pancoust still posts loving messages to her dead cousin on her Facebook page. But she no longer sends texts while driving. By e-mail message, she added: “It’s sad as you have people out there who think they are invincible and things like that don’t happen to them. But it does.”

Click here for the NY Times article with videos and photos.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/driven-to-distractionSoccer player: I was depressed, I drank, I drove, I killed a manhttp://www.njteendriving.com/soccer-playerMon, 02 Nov 2009 20:19:25 GMTNJteenDriving.comOCEAN CITY - Former professional soccer player Matthew Maher lectured students at the high school Thursday about making smart decisions - or smarter ones than his to drive drunk to Atlantic City.

Maher, 25, formerly of Middle Township, caused a fatal accident March 7 on the Atlantic City Expressway. He will be sentenced in January to at least three years and a maximum of 10 years in state prison for the crash in Hamilton Township that killed Hort Kap, a New York resident and father.

During a school assembly sponsored by Ocean City police and the South Jersey Traffic Safety Alliance, Maher told students he made countless good decisions on his path to a professional soccer career. He played for the Philadelphia Kixx and was a Temple University and Middle Township High School standout.

"I was labeled 'that guy,' a top recruit who was expected to excel," Maher said.

But it was a particularly bad decision that claimed a life, ended Maher's career and put his immediate future on hold. Now he's "that guy," the one whose careless actions killed someone, he said.

"An innocent life was taken. His name was Hort Kap," Maher said. "I face up to 10 years in state prison. That feeling? You don't want that feeling. But that means nothing to knowing I was responsible for someone's death."

Maher said the night he went to the Philadelphia bars, he was depressed about a career-threatening knee injury he had suffered days earlier. He was scheduled for surgery to repair the anterior-cruciate ligament and the meniscus he tore on the field.

Maher said he was the designated driver for his friends but shared a couple drinks when he happened upon his old college roommate. The friends went to a second bar, where the bartender told a grim story of tearing up his knee as well.

"We were sharing depressing stories. I started doing shots - one, two, three in a row," he said.

While driving from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, Maher's speeding sport utility vehicle struck Kap's car, sending it rolling into a guardrail. Maher's blood-alcohol level was .21, more than twice the legal limit, according to police.

Maher spoke to students at Cumberland County College on Monday and plans to speak to other schools, including Atlantic Cape Community College.

Since his sentencing is approaching, Maher's speaking tour might be viewed with some cynicism that he is possibly trying to win leniency with the court.But after his presentation Thursday, Maher said his words were sincere.

"All I know is this is coming from the heart," he said.

Regardless, his audience of juniors and seniors was rapt and applauded appreciatively after he finished.

Police Sgt. Charley Simonson said personal stories from peers such as Maher can be more effective than rote speeches by authority figures about the possible consequences of drunken driving.

"He's closer to their peer group. They can relate to him," he said.

Kap's sister, Yang Kap, 57, of Philadelphia, on Thursday said she was glad that Maher was sharing the tragedy with others."It's good if it helps to stop people from driving drunk," she said.

Hort Kap, 55, was a Cambodian refugee who fled to the United States with his siblings after Communists killed their brother during the Vietnam War. In America, Hort Kap helped translate for other newly arrived Cambodians.

He lived in New York with his girlfriend and worked at her salons, Yang Kap said.

She said she does not want to see Maher go to prison.

"My brother's dead already. He's gone, but I don't want to take another life. It was just one mistake. It was a truly big mistake," she said. "I don't want to lock (up) another life that can be free."

Maher will be sentenced Jan. 7.

Contact Michael Miller:
609-463-6712
MMiller@pressofac.com

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/soccer-playerCodey Hails Decline in Teen Driving Fatalitieshttp://www.njteendriving.com/codey-hails-declineWed, 04 Nov 2009 20:54:33 GMTNJteenDriving.comCODEY HAILS DECLINE IN TEEN DRIVING FATALITIES
Senate President Foresees Future Declines as New Laws Go Into Effect

TRENTON – Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) today welcomed the news that the number of teens killed in New Jersey by automobile accidents has declined for the third straight year. While finding the news encouraging, Sen. Codey also urged the need for increased vigilance and education and expressed optimism that a new set of laws enacted in the Spring will help contribute to future declines.

"This news is particularly comforting given the fact that we live in the most densely populated state in an era of constant distractions," said Sen. Codey. "As a parent, I know how hard it is to go to sleep at night, knowing your teen is out there on the road. In every parent's eyes, one death is one too many. The only way we can help avoid these tragedies is to make sure that inexperienced drivers have greater supervision and less distractions while they're still learning the ropes. We've made great strides to achieve this and I'm hopeful that the new laws we passed this year will further contribute to this decline in the future."

Sen. Codey was the prime sponsor of a bill signed into law in April that will provide greater protections for teen drivers by tightening restrictions on the number of people permitted with them in the car and cutting back on the hours that they can be on the road. The law (bill S16) was based on recommendations from New Jersey's Teen Driver Study Commission, which has been cited as a factor in the recent reduction of fatalities.

Under Sen. Codey's law, the new provisions will go into effect in May 2009, 13 months after the law's enactment, in order to allow enough time for sufficient education.

The new law will tighten provisions of the current Graduated Driver's License (GDL) program, which went into effect in 2001 giving New Jersey the oldest minimum driving age in the nation. The previous law has been effective in decreasing the number of accidents involving 17 to 20 year olds. But the number of teen drivers and passengers involved in accidents still remains disproportionately high.

Presently, anyone with an examination permit or a provisional driver's license is prohibited from operating a vehicle between the hours of 12 Midnight and 5 am. Under Sen. Codey's new law, the blackout hours will be extended from 11 pm to 5 am for any driver with an examination permit.

Additionally, drivers in the Graduated Drivers License program will only be allowed to transport dependents and a parent or guardian. In order to transport anyone else, they will have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. However, in the case of probationary license holders, they will be allowed to transport one person on their own, any more would require a parent or guardian to be in the car.

The law also requires the Division of Highway Traffic Safety to undertake a public awareness campaign about the new provisions.

"Hopefully teens will understand that we do these things not to rain on their parade, but to ensure that they live to experience life to the fullest. We've witnessed far too many high-profile automobile tragedies involving teens in recent years. But what we don't see is the personal pain that each and every family member goes through when their child is taken from them too soon. It's a tragedy no one should have to endure and we need to do all we can to prevent it. These new laws are an encouraging start," added Sen. Codey.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/codey-hails-declineTeen gets 10 years for crash that killed girlfriendhttp://www.njteendriving.com/teen-gets-10-yearsMon, 21 Sep 2009 14:11:55 GMTNJteenDriving.comJulie O'Connor
The Star Ledger

A teenage driver was given a 10-year jail sentence yesterday for a crash in Summit last year that killed his pregnant girlfriend after their car broadsided a tree on a residential street at nearly 90 mph.

Rodney Jefferson, 19, of Summit, was driving with a revoked license. He was charged with vehicular homicide but pleaded guilty in July to aggravated manslaughter as part of a deal with Union County prosecutors and will likely serve his sentence in a youth correctional facility.

Jefferson, who was only slightly hurt in the accident, wiped his eyes while his mother sobbed as the parents of 19-year-old Julia Ghiretti stood to face him in an Elizabeth courtroom.

Mary Ghiretti told Superior Court Judge Stuart Peim how she and her husband, both "very private people," cannot find the words to describe how it felt to lose the daughter they waited for two years to adopt from El Salvador at age 6 -- or forgive the boyfriend who was speeding from police.

"I didn't want him to say he was sorry, because I don't believe he is," Ghiretti said of Jefferson. "I didn't want to hear him say he loved Julia, because he didn't "¦ Obviously, he didn't feel she was worth his getting into trouble with the police."

Jefferson rose to haltingly tell the judge he did love Julia Ghiretti. "I can't explain how I feel every day when I know she won't be there," he said slowly. "I know saying sorry won't bring her back, but I really am sorry."

He had been driving his girlfriend's car after having his license revoked for a conviction on driving while intoxicated. He and Ghiretti, who grew up in nearby New Providence, had been living together in a Summit apartment.

Jefferson was at the wheel on November 2, 2008, a Sunday afternoon, because Ghiretti was feeling sick, according to defense attorney Leslie Sinemus. Sinemus said her client decided to speed after seeing a police officer who had stopped him for a previous incident.

The black Acura spun out of control near an intersection, then traveled sideways across several lawns before slamming into the tree on the passenger side, investigators said. The police officer arrived to discover the crash on Ashland Road and saw Jefferson running away. The officer caught up to arrest him.

Ghiretti was airlifted to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where she died five hours later.

While Julia Ghiretti was barely over 5 feet tall, she showed a self-confident flair on the basketball and volleyball courts, dance floor and in her sense of style, said her father, John. She had been attending Union County Vocational School with hopes of obtaining a cosmetology license.

"She lost her focus on her dream when she met Rodney Jefferson," he said yesterday. "Julia liked to believe she was street-smart, but in truth, she was naive."

Jefferson's mother, Evelyn, told the court her son made a terrible choice but was devoted to Julia and had planned to join the military to better care for her and their unborn child. "It was always about Julia," Evelyn Jefferson said. "We all loved her."

In imposing his sentence, the judge said Jefferson made a "conscious choice" to speed behind the wheel.

"There's no doubt in my mind that as Mr. Jefferson sits here, he's sorry for what happened," Peim said. "But there was a death, and the defendant was responsible."

Julie O'Connor may be reached at (908) 351-7261 or joconnor@starledger.com

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/teen-gets-10-yearsTeen driver in Colts Neck crash charged with DWIhttp://www.njteendriving.com/teen-driver-in-colts-neckThu, 17 Sep 2009 14:10:21 GMTNJteenDriving.comby Michelle Sahn
Asbury Park Press

COLTS NECK — Police have charged a 17-year-old township boy with driving while intoxicated in connection with a minor accident on Labor Day weekend, authorities said.

His 17-year-old passenger, also a Colts Neck resident, was charged Tuesday with underage alcohol possession and hindering apprehension because he ran away from the Sept. 6 crash on Woodhollow Road, police said.

At 12:01 a.m., the teen driver lost control of a Ford F-250 pickup truck while trying to make a left turn from Dana Lane onto Woodhollow Road, said Detective Sgt. Joseph Whitehead.

The truck traveled across a front lawn, then crossed Woodhollow Road and hit a mailbox and a tree, before striking a garage, police said.

The driver suffered minor injuries. No one in the house was injured, police said.

The driver was taken into custody at the scene and was also charged with underage possession of alcohol (beer), police said.

The teens names were not released because they are juveniles.

Patrolman Brian Caswell handled the investigation, with help from Patrolman Ron Breuer and Sgt. Todd Mayer.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/teen-driver-in-colts-neckMount Olive police believe cell phone use contributed to car crash in which Hackettstown teen endedhttp://www.njteendriving.com/police-believe-cell-phone-useThu, 10 Sep 2009 14:39:52 GMTNJteenDriving.comThe Warren Reporter

A Flanders woman was charged with careless driving following a Mount Olive car crash yesterday afternoon in which she and a 15-year-old passenger from Hackettstown ended up in the hospital. Police believe cell phone use contributed to the cause of the crash.

According to township police, at 5:11 p.m. Officer Marianne Wurtemberg along with other officers from the Mount.Olive Police Department, Flanders Fire and First Aid, and Atlantic Ambulance Services responded to the area of Flanders-Netcong Road and Ramar Street for a vehicle off the roadway into a tree.

The vehicle, a 2003 black Toyota Camry, had been traveling eastbound at the time of the accident. The driver, Deanna Yules, 20, of Flanders, and her 15-year-old passenger were both taken to Hackettstown Medical Center for treatment and observation.

Yules was issued a summons for careless driving.

Mount Olive police reminds residents to utilize a hands free devise with their cell phones while driving. They are further reminded to not utilize the text feature of their phones for any reason while operating a motor vehicle as this leads to an avoidable distraction and safety hazard.

]]>http://www.njteendriving.com/police-believe-cell-phone-useMorris Hills student airlifted from crashhttp://www.njteendriving.com/morris-hills-studentFri, 04 Sep 2009 14:01:36 GMTNJteenDriving.comby Tehani Schneider
The Daily Record

DOVER — A Morris Hills High School student was seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident on Route 46 on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The 17-year-old boy, whose identity was not immediately released, was airlifted to Morristown Memorial Hospital with serious injuries suffered in the 1:12 p.m. crash, said Capt. Jeff Paul, a spokesman for Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi.

Paul said the boy was listed in serious condition.

The boy was traveling westbound in a tan 1988 Honda Civic when the vehicle struck a telephone pole near the intersection with Ekstrom Street, Paul said.

The teen was extricated from the vehicle by the Dover Fire Department, and a Medevac landed at East Dover Elementary School on East McFarlan Street to transport him to the hospital.

Authorities shut down Route 46 in both directions between Perry Street and Sammis Avenue for nearly three hours to investigate the crash. Westbound traffic was diverted to George Street. Route 46 was reopened at approximately 4 p.m.

The prosecutor's office Major Crime Unit and Vehicular Homicide Response team responded along with the Dover Police Department and the Morris County Sheriff's Criminal Investigations Section.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation

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