Safe and Continuous Driving

On a cold night in December 2012, four teenagers went to see a basketball game at the Times Union Center. After the game they decided to head home to my town about fifteen minutes away. In a nearby town, a 22-year-old man went out to dinner with some friends. At the restaurant he was seen drinking four shots of alcohol and a beer. A friend asked if he was driving with no answer. That night the young man drove in the same direction as the teenagers- he was swerving and speeding. He hit the back of the teenager’s SUV and it flipped a few times before resting in a wooded median. Two teens died that night at the scene and two sustained a lot of injuries. All four involved in the accident were seniors. One of the teens who died was the captain of the HS football team and the other a softball player. The two who survived would forever replay the memories of that night and missing their dear friends. The news of the accident vibrated throughout our small town- so many were sad to hear of this tragedy.

One of the teenagers who died lived in my neighborhood and I saw many flowers near her house each time I rode my bike. Now that I am a teenager and driving, I often wonder where they would be now if they had lived that night. What happened to the survivors? One teen survivor was in a coma due to not wearing her seatbelt. She was thrown outside the vehicle when it crashed. The other who had his seatbelt on had severe injuries. Are the survivors ok physically and mentally? I also reflect on the person who caused the accident. I’m sure he was a good person; he didn’t intend to kill those teenagers. Yet, he drank alcohol that night and even used his cell phone while driving. The police said there were drugs in his system as well. What could he have done to change the outcome?

We often hear “don’t drink and drive”, “don’t use drugs” or even your cell phone while driving yet all three of these occurred that night and the outcome was devastating. In NYS, there were 17,000 deaths annually with slightly more than 30% of fatal crashes due to alcohol. Alcohol combined with drugs can increase fatalities. Teenagers in NY must take a test to get their permit and have the option to either take drivers education or log the number of hours they drive on the road with parental approval. Many choose not to take drivers’ education due to the cost. In my town of Clifton Park, the current cost of driver & safety education in high school was $435 in 2019 with a slight decrease to $325 in 2021 due to COVID pandemic restrictions. While students still got 24 hours of in-classroom/virtual instruction the 18 hours of observation per NYSED guidelines did not occur during the pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic, young drivers who didn’t participate in drivers’ education program were 24% more likely to be involved in an injury or fatal accident. I often wonder how prepared were student drivers during the pandemic as compared to student drivers in previous years who had the full in-person training? This question is not easily answered but if I could take steps in improving safe driving practices, I would suggest continual education and training should be mandated every 10 years by the DMV for all age groups. In this way, all drivers can brush up on their knowledge of safe driving procedures. I once read “road safety is a state of mind, accident is an absence of mind” and it was meant for truck drivers. Truck drivers have continuous training and so should all drivers at every age group.

I would also recommend that NYS DMV and the car insurance companies, cover the driver’s education cost for all students. In NYS, all drivers are required to take a 5-hour pre-licensing course. How does this compare to the 24 hours of in-class room instruction included in drivers’ education? Having a good understanding of the rules of the road, safe driving skills, habits and dangers would prepare all drivers for any situation on the road. Society have seen the number of accidents/deaths rise over the years with alcohol, drugs and cell phone use, why not take a proactive stance to build a continuous driver training program that is robust, sustainable and saves lives.