7/29/2019 Autoweek 2011 Teen Driving
1/7
M OCTOBER 3, 2011 autoweek.co
7/29/2019 Autoweek 2011 Teen Driving
2/724 AUTOWEEK OCTOBER 3, 2011
WHOSTEACHINGTHE TEENS?
TEEN DRIVERS 2011
We still have nominimal standardnationwide
BY KEVIN A. WILSON
7/29/2019 Autoweek 2011 Teen Driving
3/7OCTOBER 3, 2011 AUTOWEEK 25
HERES HOW YOU
prove youre qualified
to teach driving in
Colorado: Fill a glass container with
ice. Breathe on the glass. If condensation
forms, youre in.
So said Ronn Langford, founder
and CEO of MasterDrive (online at
www.masterdrive.com), a driving school
based in Colorado Springs, Colo., that
also operates in Californias OrangeCounty.
In California, its tougher, Langford
added. You take a test that turns out to
be about as tough as the multiple-choice
exam to get a drivers license. Its curso-
ry. But at least theres a requirement.
A little sarcasm goes a long way to
make the point that despite decades of
reform in the driver-education field,
theres no minimal standard nationwide.
Under systems of graduated driver li-
censing (GDL), teens are required to
spend many hours driving with a parent
or guardian. But there is no certainty
that the parent is a good driver, let
alone a competent teacher of the skill.
Thats why we called Langforda
presenter at Autoweeks Teen Driving
Safety Summit back in 2007when
we heard that the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
had published Novice Teen Driver
Education and Training Administrative
Standards. You can find the document
online at http://tinyurl.com/
AWteendrivingreport)
The document purports to provide
a comprehensive framework for state
driver-education systems.
Although its described as a nonman-
dated, unenforceable guideline, when
GDL laws were first discussed, the same
applied. Today, NHTSA has leveraged
its clout and made GDLin at least
some formthe standard in all 50
states.
Characterizing this recent effort for
us during a Ford-sponsored Web chat,
Justin McNaull, director of the AAAs
state relations office, said that a group
of driver-education stakeholders . . .
worked with NHTSA to develop guide-
lines for improving driver education
nationwidebetter curricula, better
instructor standards, better use of
technology and better incorporation
of behind-the-wheel practice. Were in-
volved with a group that is now trying
to figure out how to put these standards
GETTYIM
AGES(3)
7/29/2019 Autoweek 2011 Teen Driving
4/726 AUTOWEEK OCTOBER 3, 2011
into practice in the states.
Ford group vice president Sue
Cischke noted that for its annual con-
vention on Sept. 25, the Governors
Highway Safety Association, one of
the major players in this arena, sched-
uled a 90-minute workshop on re-forming driver education.
Stripped of the jargon, this sounds
like progress toward something weve
advocated in the pages of Autoweek:
a nationwide system for ensuring that
all new drivers acquire a base set of
skills from instructors who share an
understanding of what theyre doing.
But Langford suggests that the docu-
ment might not amount to much. For
instance, he said, it says a driving in-
structor needs 120 hours of training.
That sounds impressive. But 120 hoursdoing what? If its just sitting around a
classroom studying the same old stuff
that we know doesnt work to make
people into better drivers, what are you
achieving?
Langford sets high standards for the
people he hires and trains to coach new
drivers. And coach is a key word.
MasterDrive programs are grounded in
brain science and an understanding of
how people learn new skills. Rather
than engage in the debate over whether
driving should be a privilege or a
MasterDrive programs include visual-
processing and brain-integration exercises
that aim to improve response time.
TEEN DRIVERS 2011
MARKSTOLBERG(
2)
2
011GorillaGlueCompany
FOR THE TOUGHEST JOBS ON PLANET EARTH
1-800-966-3458 Made in USA
)RU7KH7RXJKHVW-REVRQ3ODQHW(DUWK
Gorilla Epoxysgap-fillingcapabilitiesand all-purposeformula easilybond metal, wood,ceramic and
more. Sets in just5 minutes.
A WHOLE NEW WAYTO SHOP FOR CARS.
TM
7/29/2019 Autoweek 2011 Teen Driving
5/7OCTOBER 3, 2011 AUTOWEEK 27
PROGRAMSSHOW DANGERSOF DISTRACTEDDRIVING, OFFERSKILLS TO KEEPTEENS SAFE
BY DON KLEIN
AS ALBERT EINSTEIN
wisely observed, Any man
who can drive safely while
kissing a pretty girl is sim-
ply not giving the kiss the
attention it deserves.
Although Einstein likely
never heard the term
multitasking, he obviously
grasped the concept: You
cant drive well and do
something else at the
same timeeven if youre
a genius.
Clearly, most of us
arent geniuses. Last year,
almost 33,000 people lost
their lives in vehicular acci-
dents in the United States,
often because they were
driving while distracted. A
disproportionate percent-
age of those people were
younger than 21. In fact,
death by automobile is the
leading cause of teen mor-
tality in the States.
Want more scary statis-
tics? Put just one teen
passenger in a car driven
by another teen, and the
likelihood of a fatal crash
doubles. Add an additional
teen passenger, and the
odds go up 500 percent.
Yet, despite these disturb-
ing statistics, every year,
thousands of ill-prepared
teens are issued licenses
to kill. Doesnt anybody
care?
Bob Green does. In
1996, Greena former
high school teacher and
longtime Skip Barber
Racing School senior in-
structorestablished a
nonprofit lecture series
for high schools called
Survive the Drive (online atwww.survivethedrive.org)
that slots nicely into 45-
minute assembly periods.
The lecture includes
videos made by students
who have lost classmates
in crashes, along with
graphic stills of mangled
cars and a dramatic
demonstration using his
(fake) pet mouse Ernie,
whom he puts into a
screw-top tin can andhurls violently at the floor
to replicate how unre-
strained humans flail
about in a crash.
But getting kids atten-
tion is just half of the equa-
tion. Hands-on education
is the other component.
Youve got to engage
them in the learning
process, says Rich
Radi, who runs Top Driver
(online at www.topdriver.com), a school dedicated
to making kids better
drivers.
Most drivers-ed pro-
grams havent changed
since they were created
in the 50s. They tell kids
what to do but dont ask
them why theyre doing it.
By engaging them, they
learn and remember.
But in the end, it comes
down to the kids them-
selves. When asked
whether the recent deaths
of two classmates in sepa-
rate car crashes made him
a safer driver, a Virginia
teen we spoke with
replied, Sure, Im safer
now. I mean, what are the
chances of three kids from
the same school getting
killed in one year?
Do we have your atten-
tion now?c
May We Have YourAttention, Please?
MIKEMARINO/HELIXCAMERA
Bob Green
7/29/2019 Autoweek 2011 Teen Driving
6/728 AUTOWEEK OCTOBER 3, 2011
right, MasterDrive promotes the
view that its a skill. Its a psychomotor
activity that involves both brain and
body, much like playing a sport or a
musical instrument. So its programs
involve a lot of behind-the-wheel prac-
tice that Langford equates to driving
camp.
A parent might send a teen to a
camp for his or her sport or instrument,
Langford said, and what would you
expect? That theyd spend the wholetime sitting in a classroom taking tests
in football theory? No! You expect
them to get a full immersion experi-
ence. Likewise, MasterDrive students
get a lot of driving time and coaching.
While that program goes far beyond
traditional driver education, dozens
of alternative programs offer to teach
young drivers skills they dont get from
the established order. Tire Rack spon-
sors Street Survival, Ford has Driving
Skills for Life, Toyota has Driving
Expectations, and there are many
more backed by auto-industry suppli-
ers, insurance companies and educa-
tional outlets.
When so many alternatives attempt
to redress evident deficiencies, it would
seem that we have cultural agreement
that somethings amiss in the establish-
ment.
Jeff Payne, who exposes teens to
emergency handling maneuvers in a
traveling program he calls Drivers
Edge, was a member of the group that
helped NHTSA devise its new guide-
TEEN DRIVERS 2011
CA-49
I-205
US-395
US-101
US-101
US-101
US-101
I-5
I-5
CA-99
CA-41
CA-99
START/FINISH
SANTABARB
ARA
MONTEREY
CARMEL
SANTAYNEZ
SANTAMARI
A
SANLUISOB
ISPOCAMB
RIA
CASTELLOD
ELLA
COSTADOR
O
BIGSUR
PASOROBLE
S
GREENFIELD
SANTACRUZ
HALFMOONB
AY
POINTREYE
S
GOLDENGATE
BRIDGE
SANFRANCI
SCO
MILLE MIGLIA
ORGANIZINGCOMMITTEE
AUTOMOBILE CLUB
BRESCIA
PRESENT
Stirling Moss / Denis Jenkinson
Mercedes-Benz 300SLR
over-all winners of the 1000 Miglia in 1955
Take part in alegendaryweek
california25>30october2011www.millemiglianorthamerica.comregister on lineor call 805.884.9977 ext 230
> 1000 Mile Adventure
> 4-5 Star Hotels > Luxury Gifts
>Vip Parties
> Only accepting a select & limited number of vehicles nationally and internationally
manufactured from 1927-1957
> Mille Miglia North America Tribute unites with the 25th Anniversary of the
Santa Barbara Concours dElegance
> Concours dElegance
>Vino dElegance Wine Festival
> Mille Miglia Public Viewing
> Worldwide Classics Auto Show
theresonlyonewaytoexperience
the Mille Migliain the USA
Five Mille Miglia eligible vehicles participating in the 2011 Mille Miglia North America
Tribute will get the exclusive chance to participate in the May 2012 Mille Miglia!
Vehicles will be drawn from a lottery and will receive automatic acceptance into the
historic Italian automotive event. In addition, organizers of the MMNAT, Stratus Media
Group Inc., will select one of the five chosen vehicles to receive complementary entry
for driver and co-driver. (Note: Value of the entry fee is in excess of $12,000 and does
not include air, shipping, or transport costs).
7/29/2019 Autoweek 2011 Teen Driving
7/7
Teen drivers make up a disproportionatelylarge percentage of total crashes given their
percentage of total drivers, NHTSAdatashow. But the number of fatal and nonfatalcrashes is declining, as is the number of
crashes involving teen drivers. For these datateen drivers refers to those ages 15 to 20.
Teen DrivingStatistics
>Motor-vehicle
crashes are theleading cause of deathfor 15-to-20-year-olds(2007, National Center
for Health Statistics,most recent dataavailable).
>In 2009, 5,148teen drivers
were involved infatal crashes, a 37
percent decreasefrom 2000.
>Of 208.3
million licensed
drivers in the UnitedStates in 2008, 6.4
percent were 15-to-20-year-olds, up 5.1percent from 1999.
>In 2009, 11percent of all
drivers involved in fatalcrashes were teens,and 14 percent ofall drivers involved
in police-reportedcrashes were teens.
>In 2009, 28 percent of young
drivers killed in crashes hada blood-alcohol content of 0.08percent or higher. Of thoseinvolved in fatal crashes, 24
percent had been drinking.
>In 2008,
2,742 teendrivers died, and228,000 were
injured. In 2009,these numbersdeclined by 15percent, to 2,336,
and 14 percent,to 196,000.
>In 2009, 15.2percent of
teens involved infatal crashes had
invalid licenses.Of those, 31percent also hadprevious license
suspensions orrevocations at thetime of the crash.
lines. (Like Langford, Payne was a pre-
senter at Autoweeks 2007 summit.)
He said that the 100 participantsfrom
traditional driver-education programs,
for the most partwere well-meaning
people. Few were drawn to the field
without a serious concern for young
people and safety. But they had no in-
terest in radical reform.
Bill Van Tassel, manager of driver-
training programs for the AAA and a
member of the working group, alerted
us to the NHTSA document initially.
He said he found the discussion encour-
aging in that the safety establishment
was interested in raising its standards.
Still, he said, the inertia of the status
quo means that working within the
system is, of necessity, a slow process.
Langford remains skeptical. If you
dont start from the premise that the
system is broken, he said, youre not
really going to fix it.
He and others have grown weary of
waiting for governments to act and are
instead focused on private-enterprise
solutions. Both Payne and Langford
suggested that insurers might be the
stakeholders that could do the most to
force changes. In Colorado, teens who
complete a course of study that match-
es the MasterDrive curriculum are eli-
gible for an insurance discount. And
theyve learned from coaches who have
qualifications that go beyond the ability
to fog a mirror. c
The MasterDrive (top) and Ford Driving Skills for Life (above) programs teach young drivers skillsthey might not get from traditional drivers-ed courses. While so many alternative programs seem
to signal that reform is needed in drivers ed, change is slow to materialize.
OCTOBER 3, 2011 AUTOWEEK 29
MARKSTOLBERG
Top Related