ALL AGES APPROVAL Several Club teens on the verge of driving have taken advantage of Road Code’s simple but critical safety lessons. Just ask Michael from the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, who praised the program’s realistic approach.
Girls Clubs of the Midlands, had more mixed feelings: “I am grateful he was exposed to the seriousness of driving at an early age. Now he tells me every day what I am doing wrong!”
“It’s like driving a real car but less dangerous,” the 16-year-old said. “I learned how to be a safe driver and what it’s like to be a driver in your job, how to avoid accidents, keep speed to a minimum and to check your mirrors at least every five seconds.”
Myron Gray, president of U.S. operations for UPS and a member of BGCA’s Board of Governors, praised the program as a game-changing approach to driver education. “Car accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens,” said Gray. “By bringing Road Code’s unique resources to our nation’s teens through Boys & Girls Clubs, we have an opportunity to make a positive impact on local communities.”
Road Code is also popular with Club youth a year or more away from being able to realize the privilege of driving. “Younger members between 13 and 15 are excited to learn more about anything that relates to driving,” said Heather Kavka of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, which took part in the program’s pilot phase. Statistics in Road Code videos, such as car crashes being the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, especially intrigued Club members, Kavka said, and “led them to talk more to other members and friends about the program.” Back in Atlanta, Kayla, for instance, says her mother now wears a seat belt much more often after hearing what her daughter learned through the program. In Omaha, Neb., a dad whose son took part in Road Code at the Boys &
Brian Hill is director of public relations for BGCA.
TOP TEEN-DRIVER RISKS YOU SHOULD KNOW Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. In 2009 alone, they killed 3,000 teens and sent more than 350,000 to emergency rooms with injuries. Leading risk factors for teens who drive include the following: • Inexperience – Crash risk is particularly high the first year teens can drive. • Other Teens – Teen drivers are more likely to crash with other teens in the car; and the more teens, the higher the risk. • Abusive Behavior – 37% of male drivers involved in a fatal crash in 2005 were speeding; 26% had been drinking. • Seat Belts – 10% of high school students reported rare or no seat belt usage in 2005, less than any other age group. • Weekend Nights – 50% of all teen crash fatalities in 2008 occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight, with more than 56% happening on a weekend night. Grim as these Centers for Disease Control figures are, we can help change them. With UPS Road Code and similar driver education programs, we can bring such behaviors to teens’ attention and stop them from being their own worst enemy on the road. CONNECTIONS
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