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New Strategy to Deal with Drunk Driving - Ignition Interlocks
The threat of arrest and punishment for drunk drivers is no longer working and MADD, backed by a national association of state highway officials and car manufacturers has launched a campaign to require even first offenders to install a device that tests drivers and shuts down the car if it detects alcohol.
Last year New Mexico made ignition interlocks mandatory after a first offense. The state was an 11.2% drop in alcohol-related fatalities last year. (Article abstract available to read. The complete article is available for purchase.)
++++++++++ Driver Education Programs This article from Autoweek describes graduated drivers licenses, a number of programs and approaches to teenage driving, and includes a list of web site addresses for driving skills programs for teens. ++++++++++ New Child Trends Data Bank Information Drunk Driving – Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young drivers (15- to 20-year-olds). In 2002, 24% of young drivers who were killed in an automobile accident had been drinking and were legally intoxicated. Adolescents Who Have Ever Been Raped – in 2005, more than one out of ten (11%) high school females reported having been raped at some point in her life. Sexual assault and rape are crimes that disproportionately affect females and young adults between the ages of 12 and 24. Adolescents and young adults are two to three times more likely than adults age 25 and older to be raped or sexually assaulted. ++++++++++ Staggered Sentences Cut DWI Offenses in Half
Judge James Dehn, a Minnesota district court judge, has developed a way to reach the state’s most dangerous drunken drivers and to cut their repeat offenses in half. His methods are gaining interest nationwide. Instead of diving drunken drivers a traditional jail sentence, he spreads that sentence out over years, jailing them in July and December. Before each jail term, drivers must appear in court. If they can convince Dehn they’ve been sober, employed and otherwise reformed, he can allow them to skip the month in jail until the next time. In Minnesota, one third of the state’s 300 or so district judges have used it. ++++++++++ Teens at the Wheel
The Chicago Tribune reports on teens, driving, and their drivers licenses in a special series of articles looking not only at Illinois, but at the approaches other states have taken to impact the costs of teen accidents. Automobile accidents remain the #1 killer of teens. ++++++++++ North Carolina’s Year Long Learner’s Permit
Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) in North Carolina means that teens are required to hold a learner’s permit a full year. There is a non-family passenger limit of one person under 21. After one year 16-year-olds who complete the learner permit requirement are issued an intermediate license that forbids them from driving between 9 pm and 5 am for six months. Finally, students are required to pass 70% of their classes to drive legally. ++++++++++ Georgia Revokes Drivers Licenses of Students With High Absentee Rates and Other Disciplinary Problems Students in Georgia can lose their licenses if they rack up 10 or more unexcused absences in a semester, commit a violence crime, or are arrested for drug, alcohol or weapons possession. Overall, the state revoked 11,422 drivers’ licenses for the 2005-06 academic year. Of those, 8,665 were for excessive absences and 2,757 were for students with other disciplinary problems. The Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act was passed in 1997. ++++++++++ Prom Season
Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona requires all parents to attend a two-hour forum on substance abuse prevention before their kids are allowed to attend the prom or a winter formal. The course is based on the “Community of Concern” program developed over the past eight years by parents and officials at a Catholic high school outside Washington, D.C.
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New Teen Driving Report – A Wider Issue Nearly two out of three victims in fatal car crashes involving 15 to 17 year-old teen drivers were the passengers of the teen drivers, occupants of other cars or pedestrians, according to a report released January 18 by the American Automobile Association. Safety advocates now are pressing lawmakers to place greater limits on novice drivers and are urging parents to impose passenger restrictions. ++++++++++Feds Propose Cell-phone Ban for Teen Drivers
The National Transportation Safety Board is urging states to ban cell phone use by drivers younger than 18. Cell phones have been banned in cars in some states because they district the driver. Eleven states and the District of Columbia have put limits on teens using cell phones while they drive.
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Are Teens Driving Safer? An overview of relevant data including teen crash rates and trends, licensure rates, seat belt use, and other risk factors associated with fatal crashes among teenagers. Some information from the report: The percentage of 16-year-olds who have driver’s licenses fell by over a quarter between 1993 and 2003, at least partly as the result of state graduated licensing programs introduced around the country in that period. In 2002, motor vehicle crashes accounted for more than 5,000 deaths to persons ages 16 to 19, or 40% of all deaths to that age group. Male teens are more likely than females to die in a motor vehicle crash; about 2 out of 3 crash death victims ages 13 to 19 in 2003 were males. Seat belt use among youth ages 16 to 24 has steadily increased in the last decade, from 53 % in 1994 to 77 % in 2004. Night driving is a major risk factor for young drivers. So is having other teen passengers. In general, teens are more likely than older drivers to be in crashes caused by driver error. The percent of crashes involving alcohol has been declining for teens. Lack of experience is a major reason for the high rate of fatal motor vehicle rashes among teens.
++++++++++School Bus Drivers Can File Charges Against Motorists Who Pass Stopped School Buses
In West Virginia’s Kanawha County 152 bus drivers have been trained how to check an offender’s license plate and properly file criminal complaint paperwork in magistrate court. They are expected to impact the problem of cars passing school buses as children are getting on and off.
++++++++++ New York Drivers License Redesigned to Impact Forgery and Underage Drinking
New licenses include an "optical variable device" that creates a wavy line across the face of the license. It seemingly floats above the text and driver’s photo. Drivers under 25 will be the first to receive the new licenses. The licenses also use a special laminate that will more easily reveal alterations when viewed under a black light and will have “under 21” printed in red ink for all drivers under the legal drinking limit.
++++++++++ Maine’s New Teen Driving Policy Teenage drivers who get pulled over for speeding will have their parents notified whenever their 16- and 17-year-old children get pulled over for violations ranging from driving aggressively to running a red light. The slogan for the policy is “Your parents will be the first to know.” Gotta tell you it worked for me. In my case the cop directed me to drive home and followed me there. Then he had a chat with my dad. Mortifying experience. ++++++++++ States Turn to Ignition Locks New Mexico has just become the first state to require ignition interlock systems for first-time offenders. The devices act as breath-alcohol analyzers that control a car’s ignition. Drivers with four or more DWI convictions are required to drive with the interlocks for the rest of their lies. The devices cost the offenders about $1,000 per year. Some drivers have tried to bypass the system by starting the car when sober and drinking while the engine is running. Others have used air compressor hoses. The devices now require random breath samples while the person is driving. The driver has only a few minutes to comply. ++++++++++ |
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