Safety week drives home risk factors for teens
By Ashley Gurbal, agurbal@altoonamirror.comArticle Photos
Fact Box
SAFETY TIPS
* Always wear your seat belt.
* Do not talk or text on your cell phone while driving.
* Obey the speed limit.
* Don't eat or drink while driving.
* Adjust radio and climate controls before beginning your trip, have your passenger adjust the controls for you or adjust the controls when you are stopped.
* Plan ahead; know where you are going and get directions.
* Leave early and give yourself plenty of time to get there.
Source: PennDOT
Having twin daughters meant twice as much worrying for Chris and Mindy Dicken of Roaring Spring when their teens started driving last year.
"It was nervewracking," Mindy Dicken said.
To ease some of their fears, the Dickens review safety tips with Jess and Erica, 17, who are both seniors at Central High School. They also limit the girls to no more than two passengers at any time.
"They said to really be cautious," Jess said. "At [an intersection], make sure no cars are going through red lights - slow down and look."
The Dickens also have a strict no-cell phone policy while the teens are driving.
"If we call them and the cell phones are on, we take the cell phone and the license," Mindy Dicken said. "It's not to be on while they're in the car."
Today marks the beginning of Teen Driver Safety Week in Pennsylvania and across the nation. In 2008, there were 23,059 crashes involving 16- to 19-year-old drivers in Pennsylvania; 194 of those resulted in fatalities.
"Teen drivers lack the experience needed to recognize and react to high-risk conditions and situations on the roadways," state Department of Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler said.
"Distractions such as additional passengers in the vehicle, talking or texting on the cell phone, adjusting the radio and eating while driving only compound the inexperience factor and increase the risk of a crash occurring," Biehler said.
Imler resident Brenda Long's daughter Lindsay won't start driving until June, but she's already talking safety with the 15-year-old Claysburg-Kimmel sophomore.
"No driving with a bunch of friends," Long said. "I just think it's very unsafe to be driving around with a bunch of kids. And be a defensive driver - don't trust the other guy. I don't trust anybody on the road."
Ashley Olivieri, 17, of Roaring Spring, a senior at Central High School, has been driving for almost a year, but her mom, Judy Olivieri, still talks about safety with her. Ashley is the youngest of three children, and her mom said her anxieties have eased a bit as each started to drive, but they never go away completely.
"I still make her text me when she gets places," Olivieri said.
Mirror Staff Writer Ashley Gurbal is at 946-7435.
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F16vipers
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10-18-09 3:47 PM
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Accidents happen, but if you buckle up you have a much better chance of living to tell about it. ALWAYS WEAR A SEATBELT. Best tip on the list.
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