By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
The Arkansas Department of Health recently held a teen drivers-safety class for parents and students at Cabot High School.
Arkansas had the second highest traffic-related death rate in the nation — 34 per 100,000 people aged 14 to 19 from 2000 to 2010, twice the national average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During that 10-year period, 908 Arkansans ages 14 to 19 died in crashes.
In 2010, more than 50 percent of fatal car crashes occurred between 3 p.m. and 6 a.m., with half of those happening between 3 and 6 p.m.
In that age group for 2011, there were two motor vehicle deaths and 40 serious injuries in Pulaski County. In Lonoke County, there was one death and 11 serious injuries.
“A teen’s brain is rapidly developing, especially the frontal lobe, which is responsible for your emotions and decision-making process. Teenagers are more likely to take risks, give in to peer pressure and overestimate their abilities — thinking at this speed they can make that turn — and intense mood swings,” Laura Taylor, ADH community health educator said.
For beginning drivers, the riskiest time for a crash is the first six months or the first 1,500 miles they drive after receiving a license.
After that, the risk drops by 66 percent. A 16-year-old driver is three times more likely to crash than a 17-year-old and five times greater than an 18-year-old. They are also two times more likely to wreck than an 85-year-old. Boys were most likely to get into a crash.
“It’s sad. You want to race or jump a hill,” Taylor said.
The class explained the different stages of graduated driver licensing.
A learner’s permit is for drivers ages 14 to 15. They must be with an adult 21 or older. They must wear a seat belt and cell phone use is prohibited except for an emergency.
An intermediate license for 16- to 17-year-olds says they cannot have more than one unrelated minor passenger, unless the driver has a passenger aged 21 or older. The law requires a licensed adult during night driving, except for driving to work, school or church. A teen cannot drive between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. It also prohibits cell phone use except in an emergency.
Texting or using a smart phone except for talking is prohibited for all ages. Using a cell phone while driving in a school zone or a construction work zone is against the law.
It was said in the class that, for teen drivers having only one teenage passenger, the risk of a crash increases by 40 percent. Usually that happens when driving to and from school and riding with male passengers.
The risk for a crash is four times higher when using a cell phone while driving. It can delay a driver’s reaction as much as having a .08 blood alcohol content.
The program encouraged parents to talk with their teenager about driving, set the rules for driving and create a safe-driving agreement contract.
Parent Michelle Mato said, “I found it interesting. I didn’t know anything about the graduated driver’s licensing. I thought it was a good program.”
Student Anthony Mato said, “I didn’t know the seat belt guidelines law.”
