May 28, 2010
By Brittni Johnson
Guest Reporter
Car wrecks kill 5,000 teenagers each year, and a lot of those are a result of distracted driving. An Oviedo program hopes to change those statistics.
Organized by the Oviedo Police Department and local insurance agents, a program was hosted at the Oviedo Police C.O.P.S. and Volunteer Center at Oviedo Marketplace on May 18.
Five teens and three parents listened to police and husband-and-wife team and Allstate agents Jeff and Kristy Bolin give the dos and don'ts of teaching and learning how to drive.
Oviedo Police Commander Mark Beaulieu stressed how important it is to take driving seriously.
"We hope those who come will take it to heart, to learn the lessons and become better drivers," he said.
Preventable car accidents caused by teen drivers are the leading cause of death for teens in America today, according to data compiled by the Allstate Foundation. Nearly 5,000 teens are killed in car crashes each year, and another 300,000 more are injured.
"This class changes lives, even if it just teaches a teen to not pick up the phone when they're driving," Kristy Bolin said.
The class comes at a time when it's safe to say most teens have cell phones, which leads to talking and, even worse, texting while driving. Text messaging while driving causes reaction times to decrease by 35 percent and steering control by 91 percent, AAA Auto Club South found.
A study done by Students Against Destructive Decisions and Liberty Mutual Insurance Group found that texting is the biggest distraction while driving, according to 900 teens surveyed. Yet they still do it, the survey said.
Lt. Dennis Lynch said texting has contributed to many accidents he's seen, especially in young drivers.
Susan Reilly, a parent who attended with her daughter, said she doesn't allow her to talk or text while driving, and doesn't either as an example. She brought Kathleen Reilly, 17, for some extra guidance. Kathleen had just gotten into her second car accident a couple of weeks before. Both times were for careless driving. Kathleen said the class and her accidents were wake up calls.
"I think I've become more safe, and I drive more like a grandma than before," she said. "I drove today and people were passing me — normally I'm the one to pass them."
That's what the Bolins hope to achieve. They want the teens to be aware of what can distract them so they can defend against those things. They also want the parents to set a good example, and to talk to their kids about driving.
"It's our belief that the more the parent is involved … the more responsible the teen is," Jeff Bolin said.
He hopes that parents can be "an angel on their kid's shoulder," guiding them while they're driving, even when they're not there. To give the parents a start, Jeff and Kristy hand out driving contracts. The contract gives a space to fill out driving rules and consequences for breaking those rules. They encourage parents to involve the kids in that process. Susan said the contract was the most valuable resource she got from the class.
And Kathleen didn't really mind.
"It's good to have set consequences," she said.
Learn more about the class
The Bolins and Oviedo Police hope to host the class every other month. For more information about the next class, call Kristy Bolin's office at 407-657-5867.
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