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Sacramento Safety Program Targets Teen Drivers

For parents of teen motorists around California, the upcoming Labor Day weekend should involve extra precaution and care.  That’s because this particular time has been found to be the most dangerous period for teen drivers.  In fact, according to data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the days between the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays are the most dangerous for teenage motorists around the country.

In Sacramento, one safety program aims to change that situation.  The program is called Alive at 25, and is aimed at teaching teenagers the concept of defensive driving in order to avoid accidents.  Alive at 25 is basically a defensive driving class for teenagers that teaches them how to handle a number of potentially risky situations on the road.  Topics covered in the modules include coping with peer pressure, speeding, and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Peer pressure is a major factor contributing to risky teen driving behaviors, like speeding and drunk driving.  The other hot topic at Alive at 25 is distracted driving.  Teenagers are some of the biggest consumers of cell phone technologies, with your average American teenager estimated to send and receive approximately 2,000 text messages a month.  Distracted driving is a special risk for teenagers, and the program includes ways to avoid the temptations from technological distractions.

Teenagers constitute just 3% of the motorist population in the United States, but account for 12% of all accident fatalities every year.  That skewed ratio is due to a number of factors that include peer pressure, lack of experience, and age.  Peer pressure is a major factor in teen accidents.  In fact, it’s the reason why teen  motorists traveling with fellow teenagers are at a high risk of being involved in an accident compared to those who are not traveling with other teens.  In fact, studies have estimated that a teenager’s risk of being involved in an accident increases proportionate to the number of teenagers in his car.  It’s why California and a number of other states have strong GDL policies in place, restricting teenage motorists from driving with other teenagers in the car while they still have a provisional license.

Teenage motorists may also be more vulnerable to rash and reckless driving.  Part of this has to do with the fact that teenagers believe themselves to be invincible.  When you’re 17, it’s easy to believe that burning asphalt at 100 mph will leave you unaffected.  Besides, teenage motorists simply don’t have the experience to be able to make sound judgments and safe driving decisions.  That kind of judgment comes with age, and that’s the reason why California auto accident lawyers support strong GDL laws that prevent teen motorists from driving with passengers, and driving at night time until a driver is 18 years of age.  The more number of years a teenage motorist is allowed to drive with a provisional license, the more maturity he attains, and the safer his driving.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of auto accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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