SAV-ON Teen Driver Blog

Beware: Piercings Can Lead to Gum Bleeding and Other Dental Diseases

2011-10-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

Piercings, especially to the lips and tongue, can cause serious dental complications, such as gum bleeding and broken teeth, according to research conducted by the University of Tel Aviv.

In the study of 400 consecutive patients, who were aged 20 years on average, every fourth person with a piercing in the tongue or lips revealed symptoms such as gum bleeding. Some 13.9 per cent had broken teeth or other dental complications, the study found.

Dental professionals were warned of the increasing number of patients with oral piercings and to provide appropriate guidance to patients regarding the health risks.

Studies have shown that people who have piercings in their mouth are much more likely to have injuries to their teeth and gums. Of concern to health personnel are the associated risks, which include damage to dentition, infection, speech impediment and nerve damage.

The study found receding gums, a problem that can lead to tooth loss, in 35% of those who had pierced tongues for four or more years and in 50% who had worn the long-stemmed barbells for two or more years. Researchers say that during tongue movement, long-stemmed barbells are more likely to reach and damage the gums than short barbells.
Long-term lower lip piercings can lead to tooth loss, according to a German dental organization.

If the back of the piercing pushes against the gums, it can wear them down and lead to bone decay, says proDente, a Cologne-based organization of dentists, dental technicians and industrial and dental suppliers.

Given information recommend you discuss potential risk factors with your dentist before mouth piercing. Taking precautions now will increase your chance of keeping your teeth for a lifetime.

Published in World Dental.org May 26, 2008

Binge Drinking Epidemic Among Underage Drinkers

2011-07-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

It’s always been typical for college-age kids to have beer “keggers” or drink too much hard alcohol at parties, getting tipsy or even passing out from the imbibing. Frowned upon by authorities, it was largely a harmless activity as long as there were no automobiles involved.

That has all changed with the popularity of “binge drinking” by underage youth. Many hospital emergency rooms are seeing young people arriving with blood alcohol levels in the mid-.3s and even .4, which is four to five times the legal limit.

“That’s the level at which 50% of people die,” says Dr. Mary Claire O’Brien, an emergency medicine doctor and assistant professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina. “Ten years ago we only saw those levels in chronic alcoholics.”

Soda Pop with a “Kick”

The reason is that adolescents don’t consume alcohol for the same reason as adults. Their goal is not to sit around and enjoy a drink or two, but to get as drunk in as little time as possible. Unfortunately, now there are many more ways to accomplish this. The alcohol beverage industry as developed new recipes for combining more alcohol with caffeine, while appealing to the “soda pop” taste preferences of young people, has caused a huge increase in overdoses. In addition, the shift from beer to hard alcohol among teens and young adults has exacerbated the problem.

Even social media sites, such as Facebook, have contributed to the problem, as kids share high-alcohol-content drink recipes and their exploits with binge drinking with their Facebook friends.

This extreme drinking isn’t rare, either. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 90% of all teen alcohol consumption occurs in the form of binge drinking!

41% of high school seniors say they’ve had an alcoholic drink within the last 30 days, and by the time these kids are in college that number jumps to 72%.

Alcohol and Caffeine: A Dangerous Combination

The recent craze of combining alcohol with highly caffeinated energy drinks is a recipe for disaster. “The caffeine blocks the part of alcohol that makes you sleepy and might otherwise cause you to pass out,” says Dr. O’Brien. “This enables you to drink far more than you normally would, raising your blood alcohol level to dangerous heights.”

Four Loko, one of the most popular products to hit the market in the last few years, has caused so many problems that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) stepped in and forced the manufacturers of that and other similar products to remove the caffeine. Four Loko has been reformulated and is back on the store shelves. It is still the equivalent of drinking four or five beers.

Drinking Games

Young people are turning to hard liquor more, and away from beer, especially in drinking games and contests. Shots of hard liquor are far more intoxicating due to the much higher alcohol content, and the fact that the undiluted alcohol hits the stomach and gets into the bloodstream extremely quickly. While drinking beer would take quite a while to affect the binge drinker, shots of hard liquor can almost immediately be felt. For those participating in drinking games, that is the whole point.

What Parents Can Do

If you’re worried that your teen may be binge drinking, consider this:

• Know the warning signs. Signs of extreme drinking include a drop in grades, changes in behavior and mood, a new set of friends, memory lapses, and difficulty concentrating

• Have a talk. Ask your kids what kinds of experiences they’re having, make your personal values clear, and calmly lay out the risks.

• Establish a code word. Agree on a phrase they can say if they are in an uncomfortable situation and need to give you a signal to come and get them, no questions asked.

Sources: Parade Magazine, CDC, FDA

Congress Debating Further Restrictions on Teen Drivers

2011-04-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

While all states require a restricted driver's license at age 16, a bill by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand would require all states set 18 years old as the minimum age for a driver's license with no restrictions. States that don't comply would lose precious federal highway funds.

Sen. Gillibrand is pushing the bill because of the high rate of serious accidents among teenage drivers. National accident statistics show that 16- to 19-year-old drivers have the highest rate of serious accidents and traffic violations of any age group. In addition, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens. In 2008 alone, more than 4,000 teenagers were killed in car accidents!

The Gillibrand bill would require all 50 states to adopt a three-stage licensing system. At 16, youths could get a learner's permit, allowing them to drive ONLY when accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older. After a waiting period of at least 6 months, they could qualify for an intermediate license, would would bar nighttime driving and prohibit drivers from carrying more than one friend at a time, unless accompanied by a 21-year-old licensed driver. At the age of 18, they could qualify for an unrestricted license.

The bill has resulted in complaints from teens and some parents that the increased restrictions will be difficult for suburban and rural families, who rely on cars for transportation.

David Snyder, vice president and associate general counsel of the American Insurance Association, responds that "safety is far more important than convenience" and that most parents agree when they hear the data regarding how dangerous teen driving is. The insurance industry's bigger problem will be House Republicans, who are reluctant to take control of licensing from the individual states.

In Washington state, a learner's permit can be obtained at 15, and a restricted license at 16 years old. A full, unrestricted license is available at 17 if the teen driver maintains a perfect driving record the first year, or if not, when they turn 18.

Some Teen Driving Statistics (2008 is the latest data available)

    •    Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds.
    •    16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
    •    16-year-olds are 3 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all other drivers.
    •    63% of teenage passenger deaths in 2008 occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager.
    •    81% of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths in 2008 were passenger vehicle occupants.
    •    The number of drivers ages 15-20 involved in fatal crashes totaled 5,864 in 2008.
    •    In 2006 (latest data available) crashes involving 15- to 17-year-olds cost more than $34 billion nationwide in medical treatment, property damage and other costs, according to an AAA analysis.
    •    In states with GDL programs that include at least five of the most important elements, there was a 20% reduction in fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers.

Sources: http://www.congress.org/news/2011/04/01/a_notso_sweet_16

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drivers_license_in_the_United_States

AAA comes on board with teen Driving.AAA.com

2010-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Parents of teens: Fear not once your young one is ready to get behind the wheel.

AAA wants to make the driving experience a little easier on parents and less confusing to teenagers. It has launched TeenDriving.AAA.com, to help parents navigate the often confusing process of teaching teens to drive and get their driver permit and license.

The interactive site helps parents and teens get state-specific rules and information on preparing to drive (pre-permit) through the learner’s permit and solo driving.

The site features AAA StartSmart, a series of online newsletters and webisodes based on the National Institutes of Health’s Checkpoints program, which helps parents improve teen driver safety and is being offered nationally for the first time. Some of the topics covered in AAA StartSmart’s 18 newsletters and webisodes include nighttime driving, distracted driving, alcohol and other drugs, and parent-teen driving agreements.

Parents will find information about Washington's graduated driver licensing system, selecting a driving school and choosing the right vehicle for their teens.

Fatality statistics for teen drivers drop, here is why.

2010-11-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

ATLANTA -- Far fewer people are dying in car crashes with teens at the wheel, but it's not because teenagers are driving more cautiously. Experts say laws are tougher, and cars and highways are safer.

Fatal car crashes involving teen drivers fell by about a third over five years, according to a new federal report that credits tougher restrictions on younger drivers.

The number of deaths tied to these accidents dropped from about 2,200 in 2004 to 1,400 in 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The CDC looked at fatal accidents involving drivers who were 16 or 17. There were more than 9,600 such incidents during the five-year span, and more than 11,000 people died, including more than 4,000 of the teen drivers and more than 3,400 of their passengers.

The report is being published in Friday's issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The rate of such fatal crashes has been declining since 1996. Experts credit a range of factors, including safer cars with air bags and highway improvements, which reduce the risk of death.

The number of non-fatal accidents involving drivers 16 and 17 years old has been dropping as well - by 31 percent from 2004 through 2008, according to government figures.

The decline is similar to the 36 percent drop in fatal crashes reported in the new CDC report.

Experts say a chief reason is that most states have been getting tougher on when teens can drive and when they can carry passengers.

"It's not that teens are becoming safer," said Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an Arlington, Va.-based research group funded by auto insurance companies.

"It's that state laws enacted in the last 15 years are taking teens out of the most hazardous driving situations," such as driving at night or with other teens in the car, he said.

Graduated driver's licensing programs, as they are called, began appearing in 1996, and 49 states now have them. Some are stricter than others, which may be one reason death rates vary by state, Rader said.

The CDC found that Wyoming had the highest death rate, with about 60 traffic fatalities involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers per 100,000 people that age. New York and New Jersey, which have rigorous driving restrictions on teens, had the lowest rates, about 10 per 100,000.

Wyoming's driver's license laws are laxer than some other states. For example, 16-year-olds are allowed to drive until 11 p.m., or in some cases even later, while other states force them off the roads starting at 9 p.m.

The author of the report, CDC epidemiologist Ruth Shults, said rural states such as Wyoming tend to have higher rates of traffic deaths. One problem is that remote stretches of road are hard to reach quickly by ambulance, and even harder to get a critically injured person to a trauma center, experts say.

Lorrie Pozarik, a consultant to Wyoming state government on traffic safety issues, said the state ranks poorly in seat-belt use. A love of pickup trucks has a lot to do with that.

"People feel like, 'I'm in a pickup, I don't need a belt,'" Pozarik said. "Our No. 1 fatal crash is a single-vehicle rollover. It happens to be the one crash where a seat belt is most effective when it comes to saving your life.

"The bottom line is that we have no perception of risk in Wyoming," Pozarik continued. "You're driving along the highway, there isn't a car in sight. You can see 10 miles in 20 directions, and you're sort of sitting back and cruising."

In New York, the driver's license restrictions can at times be annoying, said Ali Janicki, a 17-year-old high school senior in the town of North White Plains.

Janicki had a "junior" license when she was 16, which restricted her from driving after 9 p.m. and from driving with more than one other youth in the car. She broke the rules a few times, giving her sister and a friend a ride home from school, or driving home from a movie after 9.

Sometimes, she also needed a parent to drive her to nighttime parties. "It kind of bugged me," she said. "But I understand why."

She said she was nearly in an accident Thursday, but blamed another - older - driver's error. "I think older people, past about 40, should have to take a test and make sure their eyes are still working the same way," she said.

Tips in Buying auto Insurance for TEEN DRIVERS

2010-10-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Teenagers are unfortunately the face of several statistics in the car insurance industry. The leading killer of young adults ages 15 to 20 is car crashes. Compared to adults ages 25 to 64, these young adult drivers are three times as likely to become involved in a fatal car accident. Also, the younger the driver, the more accidents are caused. Statistically, 16-year-olds have a crash rate three times as high as 19-year-olds and six times as high as drivers in their early 20s. Adding a teenage driver to your car insurance plan can more than double the cost of what you pay for your car insurance. However, there are ways that you and your teenager can lower the cost of your teenage driver’s insurance.

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1. Receiving Good Grades
Your teenager receiving a B or better grade point average can result in a discount on your auto insurance ranging from 5 percent up to as much as 25 percent. This discount stems from the studies which correlate good students with being responsible drivers. By performing well in school, your teenager is showing to your insurance company that they take responsibility seriously and will not be large risks on the road.

2. Taking Driver’s Education Courses
If your child takes a driver’s education course in high school or through a company, this can also decrease car insurance for teenagers. Although insurance companies vary on the discount amount and the course approval, the discounts can range up to 15 percent. These courses can show your teenage driver the ethics of driving and the rules of driving on the roads. The cost of car insurance for young drivers can be decreased and they will become safer drives with the help of these courses.

3. Buying a Safe Car
There are many types of cars on the market today, including small cars, trucks, sport cars, and SUVs. All of those cars are unreliable or dangerous for your teenager to drive. Small cars do not have good protection in an accident, trucks and SUVs are prone to rollovers, and sport cars can discourage safety.

To help lower your insurance rate, consider purchasing a safer car for your teenager to drive. To find a safe car to lower car insurance for teens, look for a car equipped with airbags. Airbags will help save the life of your teenager in the event of an accident, and may qualify for a premium discount on your insurance. If your car also comes with a safety alarm, this can also be eligible for a percentage off on your insurance.

4. Enlisting in Safe Driver Programs
Enlisting in a safe driver program offered by your insurer will kill two birds with one stone. The completed program will offer a discount of up to 5 percent on the insurance, as well as instructing teenagers on the perils of drinking and driving. They will learn the consequences of running red lights or stop signs as well as speeding. Even if your insurance company does not provide a decrease in your automobile insurance for teens, this will help in the future when your driver is on the road. A few speeding tickets or minor accident caused by a teenage driver can send your auto insurance through the roof. By taking this preemptive measure, you can stop the risk of that happening.

5. Driving an Older Car
Insurance companies tend to give lower rates for teenagers driving old and heavy cars. Records show that older cars are less prone to accidents and harder to drive recklessly than newer models, which can encourage customers to remove collision coverage from their insurance policies. With a safer old car and the extra fee removed, this can decrease the cost of the insurance. In addition, some companies tend to assign the most expensive insured driver—your teenage child—to the most expensive insured car. To counteract this and save money, consider buying an older car for your teenager. Even if it is not used most of the time, it will still be let you end up with lower car insurance payments.

Always compare rates between insurance companies when adding a new teenage driver to your car insurance. If another company is offering a better deal than your current insurer, it may be in your best interest to go with the new insurers. Be sure to teach your teenage driver responsibility on the road through safety courses, and your car-insurance-paying wallet will be sure to thank you.

Cruise control has it's advantages but can be dangerous!

2010-10-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Cruise Control Driving
Cruise control can be used to automatically control the speed in your vehicle (usually over 25-35 miles per hour) without keeping your foot on the accelerator. It is a great tool to prevent driver fatigue, speeding, and help with fuel economy during long trips on flat, straight roads and highways. Cruise control can cause accidents if you use it improperly or in hazardous road conditions such as city streets, heavy traffic, hills, winding roads, and wet, slippery roads.

Controlling the speed of your car with your fingertips on cruise control lets you take your foot off the accelerator and rest, but remember, you still control the vehicle steering and braking. Stay alert while you drive. Fatigue and a false sense of security can lead to a lack of attention and an accident. Keep your brain engaged in your driving; scan the road ahead for traffic, obstacles, and changing road conditions.

Read your vehicle owner’s manual on safely operating the cruise control for your vehicle. Heed manufacturer’s warnings about cruise control use. Leave the cruise control button off unless you intend to use it. If you accidentally activate cruise control, it could startle you into losing control of the vehicle.

Set your cruise control speed at a legal, safe speed for the road and the current driving conditions. Always wear your seatbelt. During cruise control, your foot may take a rest from the accelerator, but keep both feet flat on the driver’s side floor and ready for braking or maneuvering if you need to suddenly slow or emergency stop. Don’t lounge, curl your foot up underneath you, or put it up on the dashboard, windowsill, etc. while you drive.

Don’t use your cruise control when the road is wet and slippery due to heavy rain, hail, snow, ice, or other conditions. If your wheels begin to skid and you don’t step on the brake to stop, the continued acceleration can cause you to overdrive the road conditions and lose wheel traction and control of the vehicle. If you do step on the brake to stop, slow, or even turn off the cruise control, the change in tire speed can also cause the wheels to slip, lose traction and skid out of control. If there is heavy rainfall, water puddles, and a slippery road surface, hydroplaning and serious accidents can occur.

Note that vehicles equipped with Electronic Stability Control can alter the wheel speed for better traction, but read the owner’s manual to see if cruise control is safe in slippery road conditions.

Cruise control on hills and winding roads can be hazardous. On hills, it is best to manually control your speed using the accelerator and brake. Cruise control may not accelerate your vehicle properly up a hill, making you a slow-moving hazard. A steep downhill grade can cause your vehicle to speed up faster than the cruise control setting and safe road speeds. Watch your speedometer and manually accelerate and brake as needed. On twisting and winding roads, brake and accelerate into and out of the turns. With cruise control on, you could approach a turn at an unsafe speed and lose control.

Using cruise control in traffic and on city streets with lights and stop signs can be tedious, frustrating, and unsafe. In these situations, you need to reset your cruise control each time you brake and it is unlikely you would be driving at the minimum speeds needed for cruise control. It is best to manually control your vehicle in traffic and city streets and leave cruise control for long journeys on dry, straight, and wide-open highways.

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A mother's loss

2010-10-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Every so often it is good to get a dose of reality, this touched our hearts and souls. Please read and learn. Our blessings to Barbara Andrews and family and we pass along your story to our readers.

Barbara Andrews lost her daughter, Kimberly, in an SUV crash with another teen driving on June 12, 2002. Barbara now speaks to high school defensive driving classes in the hopes that this moving story will impress other teens with the need to drive safely and think about consequences of their actions ... and so that Kimberly's tragic death will not have been in vain.

You may also want to visit Kimberly's web site at www.KimberlyAndrews.com to learn more about Barabara, Kimberly and the entire Andrews family.
You can also hear Barbara's interview with us by clicking here.
[Windows Media Player video. Click to play, or right-click to Save As...]

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If you were to pass me in the halls or on the street, you would see that I am smiling; I am laughing; I am going about my day to day commitments and living my life. Things must be going well – no worries, no stress. That’s how it looks to the world outside. But, I feel invisible. Don’t they know, can’t they tell, can anyone see my pain…

I am a bereaved parent – that is the term they use. It doesn’t really represent who I am. I am a wife, a mother of 3, a professional. I am a parent who lost a part of myself almost 5 years ago, when my oldest, my only daughter was killed in a car accident. She was a passenger in an SUV. With the blink of an eye, our lives were turned upside down, inside out – never to be the same. The death of your child, no matter the circumstance, is devastating. Your future is changed forever. It is not the natural order of things.

As a parent, there is guilt and regret. You question your parenting and your sanity. You relive that day, those hours, over & over again. Your mind play tricks on you – if only this or that had occurred, the outcome would be different. No matter what you think, what you wish for, the outcome is the same – your precious child is dead – and you and your family must find a way to go on with your lives without them. So much easier said then done.

Yes, I am smiling, I am laughing and I am going about my day to day commitments and living my life. I have to. My husband and sons need me. I can’t help my Kimberly anymore.

Today, with a heavy heart, I am here to walk you through a few days of my family’s life. Similar to most family’s, but with an outcome I would not wish upon anyone.

My story is about decisions, actions and choices – ones that don’t provide a second chance. The message I want you to take home today is this: Always think about how your choices and decisions will impact you, your family and your friends. Can the consequences be life altering or even life ending? Remember, it CAN happen to you.

Friday, May 10, 2002 – Tonight is prom night. Kimberly is a junior at Pope High School. Even though Kimberly is not interested in going to prom, her friend Brett talks her into it. The afternoon and evening is filled with prom pictures at the house, dinner, prom and a get together at our house afterwards.

Sunday, May 12th – It is Mother’s Day and Kimberly 17th birthday. The day is extra special because Kimberly was born on Mother’s day! Kimberly chooses her favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner instead of her usual birthday dinner at her favorite Italian restaurant. After an early dinner, she meets up with friends.

The next 4 weeks are filled with end of school activities and exams. Kimberly plans on working full time this summer to pay on her car, insurance and save for school. She plans on graduating in December, so she can get a jump on her core classes. She is planning on becoming a teacher and can’t wait to move to the next stage of her life. The only reason she is staying is to be the Head Wrestling Manager her senior year.

Wednesday, June 12th, starts out as a typical summer’s day. Kimberly called me about 10 am that morning to ask if she could spend the night out at her friend Gina’s house. After some discussion, I agreed, only if she stayed home that weekend and spent some time with the family. Tyler had a baseball tournament that started that night and lasted through the weekend. Little did we know that as we sat watching Tyler play baseball, our daughter was dying.

Kimberly worked that day at Kroger. What we didn’t know is that she got off early (around 5 pm) and planned to head to the lake for the evening with friends. She didn’t have our permission. It turns out most of the kids in the caravan were kids we didn’t know – with the exception of about 3 who we had met a couple of times. We found out later that a lot of Kimberly’s friends knew where she was going – they had been invited too but couldn’t go for various reasons. Why did Kimberly lie to us?

There are a lot of things that happened between 5 and 8:41 that we will never know. There are several different versions of the story. Here is what we understand:

■Four cars of kids left for Lake Arrowhead around 6:30 pm, Kimberly’s Honda Civic, a Toyota Forerunner, a red car, and one other. Some of the kids planned on spending the night, others were planning on driving home later in the evening. Most parents did not know where their teenagers were headed.
■Kimberly’s car broke down and the kids “hung out” on 575 for about an hour deciding what to do. An officer stopped and asked them to move along as they were creating a disturbance on the highway.
Several kids went to get oil for Kimberly’s car – which did not help the engine to start.
■Everyone hopped into cars and headed for the lake, leaving Kimberly’s car behind. What was the plan? Kimberly was a control freak, why did she leave her car? I have been told that Kimberly’s “choice” of cars to get into was based on the fact that the red car’s occupants were smoking dope and that she chose the SUV for that reason.
■When Kimberly’s car broke down that evening (the engine locked because it had run out of oil apparently) she only had one thing in mind – I’m going to have fun with my friends. I wonder if she ever thought of calling us. She certainly had plenty of time. Kimberly always kept in touch – and knew we would help her out that night. She also probably knew that she would be in trouble – she was not where she was supposed to be. I am sure that was not the 1st time, unfortunately it was the last time. If only she had called us….
The car accident occurred at 8:41 pm, just a minute or two after she got in the other car. The first officer on the scene was the same officer that had asked them to “move along” a short time before.

Kimberly died instantly. She had multiple skull fractures, a broken nose and broken legs. Where she was sitting in the car took the brunt of the impact. Kimberly had the lap belt of the seat belt on, but when it hit the tree, the impact caused her seat to break so it was as if she had nothing to hold her in. The police don’t believe that having had the shoulder belt on would have helped save her. Why did she have to die?

The driver of the Toyota Forerunner saw something out of the corner of her eye, which caused her to swerve. Because of her lack of experience in driving an SUV, she overcorrected when her car started to go off the road. The car flipped over with the over correction, hit a tree, and then flipped on its side (Kimberly’s side) and hit the second tree. The impact of hitting the 3rd tree stopped the car – 2 dead, 4 injured, and many lives shattered forever. Kimberly was very particular about whom she drove with, yet this time she got in the car with someone she barely knew.

Kimberly’s injuries were so severe they wouldn’t let me see her. I never got to hug or kiss her goodbye. Why did this happen to her – she was so full of life and knew exactly what she wanted out of life? Her two brothers adore her and look up to her. These past 5 years have been very difficult for them, living without their big sister. We are a very close family, and it is very obvious as we set the dinner table for 4 instead of 5. Family pictures will never include my whole family again.

We didn’t get called until 11:50 pm that night, by the driver of the red car – her sister was in the car with Kimberly – that is how she knew about the accident. She also knew that one of the boys in the car was dead. His parents had been notified around 11 pm. Since we had not been notified of her whereabouts, I tried to call Grady Hospital where 2 of the kids had been taken. We found out later that her wallet was in the red car so the police didn’t know who she was. Remember her choice in car? I couldn’t get through, so Jay and I got Josh & Tyler out of bed and jumped in the car. We had to find Kimberly!

We started making phone calls to find her and find out where the accident had occurred as we were driving out of our subdivision. Eventually we were transferred to the Canton Police who recommended we go home. At that time they realized who we were and didn’t want to tell us over the phone. After going home and trying Grady and North Fulton Hospitals again and again, we called the Canton Police back. At that time we were told an officer was on the way to our house. As her brothers cried and prayed for her safety, her dad and I knew – but we still kept up hope for the boys and for ourselves. How can we comprehend the fact that our daughter was dead?

At 1:15 am on 6/13, a Canton policeman (the same officer who stopped on the side of the road and arrived at the scene of the accident) arrived at our home to tell us that our daughter did not suffer and was not coming home. He then began calling family and friends, so we wouldn’t be alone. By 3 am, our house was full of people trying to comprehend this tragedy. Most of it is a blur to me.

There are parts of the whole summer I still can’t fully remember – a sure sign that you are in shock. As Josh said to me one day, Mommy why did this have to happen to our family? That is a question I will never be able to answer.

If only she hadn’t lied, if only she’d called us. If only she didn’t get off work early. The “if onlys” go on for many weeks until you realize you are driving yourself crazy. The “if onlys” won’t bring Kimberly back. We also keep asking “Why”? Why did Kimberly die? Why did she not call? Why did she lie? How many other times did she lie to us? Why did we let her go out that night? Why didn’t her friends keep her from going that day? Answers we will never have. Questions continue to keep us up at night. The choices Kimberly made that day seemed innocent and harmless at the time.

Kimberly was a loving daughter, involved teenager, a great big sister and a hard worker. She had worked at Kroger since she was 15, did parties at Sports-a-rama, bought her own car, and paid her own insurance.

We loved Kimberly with all of our hearts. Kimberly was a good kid who cared about others and had a purpose in life. She offered so much to so many people in her short life. This became obvious to us as the nearly a thousand people came to pay their last respects at her funeral and with the hundreds of cards and letters we received. This was quite overwhelming to us, but brought us great comfort. A friend created a web site in her memory that people still write messages on. Two scholarships have been established in her memory (one for wrestling and one for aspiring teachers). The Pope Junior Wrestling Tournament was renamed to the Kim Andrews Classic. Jay and I had a memorial made with a poem Kimberly had written. It is in the front of the administration building at Pope.

Kimberly didn’t graduate from Pope – the graduation sign in the neighborhood said “In Memory Of” next to her name. The impact of her death is indescribable. There is emptiness in our lives that will never go away.

Never again will I enjoy a late night talk with Kimberly – those “mother/daughter till 1 am” talks. Never again will she be in the stands cheering Josh and Tyler on. Never again will her dad coach her in softball. The “firsts” don’t end when the 1st anniversary of your child’s death occurs. They go on forever. There is a knot in my chest every time someone asks me how many children I have – 3, I answer. It is the next question that is difficult – how old are they? Josh & Tyler are easy. It is always difficult to say that my daughter is forever 17. Both boys “age her”. If someone asks them about their family, they say they have a sister who is 22. The reality is that Josh, who is 16, and Tyler who is 14 will pass her in age very soon. No longer will I be able to say “When Kimberly was your age”.

Both boys ask questions and try to remember their sister. They were only 9 and 11 at the time. Josh is the one who realizes he will now be the first to go to college and wasn’t able to visit his older sister at school like his friends have been able to. He understands our apprehension of him driving and that he is not allowed in the car with another teenager!

Tyler has written several stories about Kimberly titled “My Hero”. “As I look back on my life and I think of a person who is a hero, I think of one person…my sister. My sister Kimberly showed me what a hero is. Kimberly was always supportive by being at my matches or games to cheer me on. As I was about to step onto the wrestling mat or the baseball diamond, I would get letters of encouragement from her. They made me want to do my best. There was never a time when she missed a game of mine. Kimberly was my cheerleader. Kimberly was a very loving person. She taught me how to care for someone. In her mind, family and friendship were number one. If I needed help, she would be there to help. I was inspired by the way she would always be helping someone in time of need. She made me feel like I was her number one priority. There was never a time when I don’t think about how she impacted my life. I just wish she were here to help me through the rest of my life”.

We miss her infectious laugh, her beautiful smile, her love, her stubbornness, her presence – everything about her!

Somehow, I still don’t know how, we have survived this devastating loss. We continue to take things one day at a time. Our perspective on what is important in life has changed. We don’t sweat the small stuff.

Kimberly was supposed to have enjoyed her senior year in high school, date, graduate from college, teach, get married, have children of her own, and be an example for her brothers. Kimberly and I were supposed to get through the hard part and be grownup friends. Kimberly used to always say, “Mom let me make my mistakes”. My answer to her was “My job as a parent is to keep you from making those life altering mistakes”. In my head, I know there was nothing I could have done to prevent this; in my heart I will always feel that I failed Kimberly by not protecting her. It wasn’t supposed to happen to Kimberly either!

■There were no drugs or alcohol involved in this accident.
■There was no speeding involved in this accident.
■No one was charged in this accident.
■There was a driver with little to no experience in driving an SUV.
■There was an SUV that flips with added weight and over correction.
Four families have gone on with their lives. Two families continue grieving.

You NEVER get over the loss of a child…I miss Kimberly every minute of every day.

As parents, we spend a lot of time making sure our children are making the right choices. We talk to you about drugs, alcohol and sex. We provide you with cell phones so you are just a phone call away. We want to meet your friends and your friends’ parents. We gain a false sense of security with our “good” kids. Car accidents only happen to “bad” kids making wrong choices, right?

Next time you get in a car, ask yourself these questions:

■Do I know if they drive responsibly?
■Am I “allowed” to be in the car with this person, either as the driver or a passenger?
■Am I where I am supposed to be – and if not, what if my parents found out – would they be proud of my decision?
■Is a friend lying for me – what would my family’s reaction be if they found out – especially if something bad happened to me?
■Am I or the person who is driving – distracted, too tired to be behind the wheel, driving too fast, or driving recklessly?
■Am I responsible enough to take the keys away from a friend, because they are not capable of driving?
The answers to these questions and your split second decision could be the difference between life and death.

I know most of you are here today because your parents made you come to this. I hope my story makes you realize that it is because they love you. Don’t make your family go through what Jay, Josh, Tyler and I live with every day and forever.

If I can get through to you, Kimberly’s death will not have been in vain. Remember Kimberly and all of the others like her. Please be mature and drive safely and wisely.

Buying a Car 101

2010-09-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

How to Find the Perfect Car for You
By Art Corvelay , eHow Contributor

Purchasing a car can be a big decision for many people because it often involves a large monetary investment. Although the absolute perfect car may not exist, there are some steps you can take to find the perfect car for you. This article will walk you through some car-buying tips that will help you find the right car for your needs.

1
Determine how your car will fit your lifestyle. The most important thing is to think about how you will use your car, and not what kind of car you wish to have. Many of us wish to drive fast sports cars, but these may not be the best fit for our lifestyles. If you have three children and need a car that will accommodate you and your children, you may want to choose a mini-van or SUV. However, if you will be the only one using your car, you may want to think about a compact car.

2
Determine your price range. This step is essential, as it will narrow your search dramatically. Think about how much you would like to spend and make sure you set a price cap. That is, set a ceiling for the highest you would be willing to pay and do not plan to exceed this ceiling.

3
Think about your values and how they might be impacted by the car you purchase. If you value environmentally-friendly cars, you may want to search for a hybrid vehicle. Further, if buying an American-made car is important to you, you can easily narrow your search by looking for only American-made cars.

4
Begin searching for your perfect car. Once you have thought about your lifestyle needs and what you value in a car, you can start searching for your perfect car. The easiest way to do this is to start on the internet. You can utilize websites like cars.com that allow you to search for cars that fit your requirements. You can get a feel for the general market and pricing of cars you may be interested in.

5
Visit the actual car manufacturer's website if you have narrowed your search and chosen a manufacturer. For example, if you are interested in a Toyota, visit the Toyota website. You can visit the website to check out various colors and options that are offered for each make and model. Often times, there may be deals via the web that may not be announced at the actual dealership.

6
Contact a local dealer Once you have browsed a website like cars.com or manufacturer's websites, you can contact and visit local dealers to find out what cars they may have in stock.

7
Consider superficial options like color and interior at the dealership. These may differ from the options you viewed online depending on the stock of cars a dealership has. Do not let these options be deal-breakers if you have found an ideal car.

8
Make an offer. It is true that you can bargain with car dealers, depending on the dealership, of course. Think about your price cap and make a reasonable offer on the car you want to purchase. The most important thing is to not get too attached to a car. If the car price exceeds your ceiling, do not be afraid to walk away.
.
9
Check with your Insurance Agent before the purchase to see what you are adding to your monthly expenses. Insurance price varies with type, year age of the car, safety record, cost to fix etc.

Teendriving.com

2010-09-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce all of our fellow bloggers to a web site called teendrivers.com is particularly user friendly to our teen drivers.

It includes such information on how to parallel park, tips on how to drive in bad weather, out in the country, around school and in cities. It gives tips on how to purchase insurance, buying a used car and many other advice sections for the young driver.

It is very well done and young drivers can become subscribers by logging on to the web site.

There is also a parents center for parents to get good sound advice.

All of this comes down to continuing to keep dialog going with our young drivers to keep them safe on the road. Let's try and reduce the tragic fatalities experienced by our young drivers.

More facts on Teen drivers fatalities

2010-09-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO — Car crashes are the leading cause of death for tweens and teens, and a new study outlines some of the most dangerous circumstances: riding unbuckled with new teen drivers on high-speed roads.

These were the three biggest risk factors contributing to car crash deaths for passengers aged 8 to 17, the study found.

While young drivers have higher chances of dying, the six-year study focused on nearly 10,000 children passengers who were killed in car crashes. More than half — 54 percent — were riding with a teen driver. Drivers younger than 16 were the most dangerous.

Also, more than three-quarters of the fatal crashes occurred on roads with speed limits higher than 45 mph, and nearly two-thirds of the young passengers were not wearing seat belts, the researchers found.

Other dangerous circumstances for young passengers included drivers who’d been drinking alcohol, male teen drivers, and driving on weekends.

The message for parents is simple and sobering: Don’t let your teen ride with a teen driver who has less than a year’s experience driving. Insist on seat belts. And practice ways teens can resist peer pressure to ride with other teens, said Dr. Flaura Koplin Winston of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the study’s lead author.

“Knowing the risks can help parents and teens make smart decisions about which rides are safe, and which ones are off limits,” said Winston, the founder of the hospital’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention.

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The researchers examined national data on serious car crashes including those resulting in death between 2000 and 2005. During that time, 2.5 million children aged 8 to 17 were involved in crashes and 9,807 died.

Risk of death is double if driver is a teen
The risk of death for kids riding with drivers aged 16 to 19 was at least double that of those riding with drivers aged 25 and older. There were about two deaths per 1,000 crashes for young passengers with 25-plus drivers, versus more than four deaths in the younger group.

The study, conducted with State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., appears in the March edition of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. State Farm funded the research.

Recent federal data indicate that the percentage of U.S. 16-year-olds with driver’s licenses has fallen since 1998 (from roughly 44 percent to about 30 percent), during a time when restrictions on teen driving generally increased.

But no states have all the restrictions recommended by State Farm, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Philadelphia hospital.

For example, they say the minimum age for a learner’s permits should be 16. But nine states grant them to 14-year-olds and at least 30 others give them to 15-year-olds. Also, the groups say drivers younger than 18 should not be allowed to have more than one teen passenger without adult supervision, but only 34 states have that restriction, according to data provided by the hospital and State Farm.

Rosie Jermakian, a Bethesda, Md., 16-year-old, said the study results hit home, particularly because of a recent spate of teen car crashes in the Washington, D.C. area, including one that involved a friend. Rosie’s stepmother does research at the Philadelphia hospital but was not involved in the study.

“Teen drivers don’t always think,” said Rosie, who has a learner’s permit and hopes to get her license soon. “Sometimes they think they’re just in this little bubble where they can’t get hurt and they don’t really think of the consequences.”

Winston, the study author, said that means teen passengers and their parents have to take precautions, and the Jermakian family does.

“I’ve told her flat out, in regard to some of her friends who I don’t believe have been well taught in these areas, that she is not to get in a car with them driving,” said Joel Jermakian, Rosie’s father.

Her parents also have told her to call them for a ride if she ever faces a potentially dangerous driving situation.

Jermakian said the study “reminds us that in raising teens, constant dialogue about all these kinds of things is important.”

Driving and using the cell phone irrestible? New technology could take away temptation!

2010-08-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE -- Asked if the statewide texting-while-driving ban is really working, drivers out there compare it to speeding -- yes, they know what the law says, but many are just finding ways to conceal their activity around police.

"I see the law working a little bit, but there's still a lot of people texting and talking," said driver Martin Cooper.

"You can look both sides of you, you're guaranteed to see people on the phone," said truck driver Whitney Howatt.

"You'll get the people who'll palm their phone," said driver Michael Lombardy.

Now, one local inventor wants lawmakers to require phones in view of the driver to automatically disable when the car is running.

"They were talking a lot about 'Let's just pass laws so the police will look in drivers' windows to see what they're doing with their hands and eyes,'" said Jeff Haley, who is also a patent attorney. "And I thought, there ought to be a technical solution."

Haley said the technology he's touting already exists in one form or another. In February, he and colleague Mike Robinson formed the Seattle-based Distracted Driving Foundation (www.ddfn.org).

"We believe that government, through state or federal legislation, should require phone companies to use available and new technology to restrict the functions of handheld electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle for any use other than important voice calls, without limiting use by passengers," the foundation's website states.

Haley said for many, the urge to read a text message or e-mail is irresistible. He believes restrictions embedded in the phones would take the human element out of the equation. He compared it to railroad crossings, put in place to restrict drivers for their own safety.

The foundation has contacted several companies that already make software to put phones in "driving mode" when they sense they're moving more than 15 miles per hour.

Callers are greeted with an automatic voice message: "The person you have called is driving and cannot take your call."

The key is to make the technology recognize when people are in the passenger seat or some form of public transportation, as well as when the driver is using their Bluetooth hands-free device.

Haley said they have a handful of Washington state lawmakers who have signed on to help get wireless carriers on board, and get a bill before the legislature in the next session. For now, they're looking to require phone restrictions on teen drivers, with an eventual goal of all drivers in the United States, and beyond. They're also seeking funding for the non-profit foundation.

John Walls, vice president of public affairs for the CTIA, a group that represents the wireless industry, did list two concerns. He said any such technology cannot be interference-based, since federal law prohibits any blocking of cell phone signal transmissions.

"But if it's embedded in the handset or the network... The overall concept we are completely behind," he said.

Walls' other concern was that any law favoring one technology over another would "start boxing yourself into the corner, because you may squelch [the best technology's] development through that law," he said.

"We would probably have some discussion and take a long look at that," he added.

A 2009 study by Virginia Tech researchers videotaping millions of hours of eye movements of drivers found that texting while driving made the risk of a crash or near-crash more than 23 times more likely than non-distracted driving.

While drivers agree distracted driving is dangerous, they have mixed feelings about this "technical solution."

"That would probably actually be the point where people won't be on their phone, because they won't be able to," Howatt said.

"I don't know about that one, the phone calls still need to come through," said Lombardy. "It's up to the individual person to make the choice."

Distracted Driving Foundation: http://ddfn.org

GDL Laws (Graduated Licensing Laws) are beginning to show promise and are effective

2010-08-04T15:01:00.001-07:00

GDL Laws (Graduated Licensing Laws) are beginning to show promise and are effective

■A May 2010 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study on teen driver safety concluded that additional research could help states strengthen their graduated licensing systems (GDL). Existing research shows that GDL laws are associated with lower teen fatalities but because limited research has been conducted on the optimum provisions of these laws, states might be missing opportunities to strengthen their programs. The GAO recommends that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conduct additional research on minimum age requirements, nighttime and passenger restrictions, the effect of bans on electronic devices, driver education and parental involvement. The report also acknowledged that currently no grant program specifically targets teens and no federal law exists requiring states to meet licensing requirements or standards.

■The Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2010 ( S.3269, STAND UP) was introduced in the Senate in April 2010 by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). The Act contains minimum requirements such as enacting a two-stage licensing system, including a learners permit phase to begin at age 16 and lasting at least six months. It would prohibit night driving and cellphone use in non-emergency situations. The second, intermediate stage would include the restrictions from the first stage and ban more than one non-family passenger. This stage would last until age 18 The bill also includes provisions for incentive grants to states that enact the law within three years and for highway fund withholding during the fourth year if states do not meet the minimum requirements
Labels: age, auto insurance savings tips

.Lack of Sleep and the teen Driver

2010-07-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY, June 9 (HealthDay News) -- Starting the school day earlier may lead to more car accidents involving teenagers, new research suggests.

The study, which looked at schools in two cities in Virginia with different start times, found an association between earlier classes and more crashes among sleep-deprived students.

"Teenagers need over nine hours sleep a night, and it looks like a large number of teens don't get sufficient sleep... part of that relates to the time that high schools begin," said study author Dr. Robert Vorona, an associate professor of internal medicine in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va.

The findings were to be presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Societies, in San Antonio.

"There are data that demonstrate that lack of sleep has negative consequences for teens," he said. "And some data show that younger drivers are more likely to have crashes when they have inadequate sleep."

The study compared crash rates in 2008 for high school students with widely varying school starting times in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, two adjacent cities with similar demographics. Virginia Beach's classes started at 7:20 a.m.; Chesapeake's began at 8:40 a.m.

While the overall accident rate for all drivers was higher in Virginia Beach, the difference between teens in the two cities was stark, Vorona said. Chesapeake had 46.2 crashes for every 1,000 teen drivers, compared to 65.4 per 1,000 teen drivers in Virginia Beach -- a 41 percent difference.

The statistics are significant, Vorona said, even though they did not prove a direct relationship between school starting times and roadway safety.

"We think the Virginia Beach students may be sleep-deprived," said Vorona, "and that is perhaps the reason for the increased crashes."

Vorona said that the amount of sleep teens get largely depends on what time they get up in the morning.

"They tend to go to bed later no matter what time they get up," said Vorona. Other research shows teens who start school later get more sleep.

He recommended high schools look at starting the day later.

Beyond the impact on driving, early start times probably affect other important areas, Vorona said, calling for research on how they affect teenagers' moods, tardiness and academic performance.

"If you think about something like calculus, we're asking teens to perform complicated mental functions when their minds are probably not fully alert yet," he said.

Dr. Barbara Phillips, of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, agreed.

Teens are "biologically programmed" to get sleepy and wake up later than adults, said Phillips, a professor with the school's division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. "They truly can't help it. They're just not going to get sleepy at 10 p.m., so it's hard for them to get the eight to 10 hours of sleep they need to get when they have to catch the 7:30 bus."

Phillips is co-author of a study that compared car crash rates and increased sleep for adolescent drivers in Lexington, Ky., when the school district instituted a later school day in 1998. Data were analyzed from the two years before and after the change.

The study found that when teens increased their sleep, crash rates declined 16.5 percent during a period when teen crash rates throughout the state increased by 7.8 percent.

"Younger, inexperienced drivers don't fare well with additional handicaps such as impaired alertness caused by having to get up earlier than is natural for them," said Phillips. She noted that schools often resist starting the school day later because it affects bus schedules, sports and other after-school activities.

"Changing high school start times is important and difficult," she said. "It can't happen without commitment and work on the part of parents and school officials. Teens are not in a position to set their schedules. We need to help them."

Teen Drivers Contracts

2010-06-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

It is always a good idea to have clear rules and understanding when it comes to your teenager's first time behind the wheel. Here are a few helpful hints and ideas to help you start things off right.

Teen Driver contracts
When teens negotiate their own set of car keys, parents worry that they’ve said goodbye to all control. It’s true that teens experience a new sense of freedom when they get their licenses. But they often don’t understand the responsibilities that come with the privilege. Parents can help by drawing up a driving contract, before turning over the keys, that clearly states the family rules as well as the consequences for breaking them. A contract should address safety, good driving skills, and particular situations in the following areas:

The car

Parents should make decisions on the following car related items and add them to the contract.

•Which car(s) the teen is allowed to drive: The car should have a driver’s side airbag, a good safety rating, and be easy to maneuver

•Car care—including putting gas into the car, oil changes, tire pressure, and regular maintenance requirements

•Car clutter—keeping the car clean inside and out and free of trash

•Paying for insurance. Insurance rates for teens are often twice the ones for adults over twenty five—and for good reason. Teens have an average of three accidents between 16 and 20. Some parents find that having their teens pay the insurance costs with their part time jobs provides some incentive for avoiding reckless onroad behavior that often results in accidents. Insurance rates will rise sharply with each accident—sometimes costing thousands of dollars per year.

Safety:

The contract should also stress safe driving practices, including:

•Always obeying the speed limit and traffic laws

•Always wearing seat belts and making sure that all passengers are buckled up before driving

•No drinking/drug use—Parents should always be vigilant in watching for signs of alcohol or drug use by their teens and talk to their teens and seek professional help if they find indications. Driving while impaired is one of the leading causes of fatality in vehicle crashes—and the numbers are unfortunately on the rise in the last few years. The contract should state that teens are not allowed to drink and drive, have alcohol in the car, or even be a passenger in a car with a driver who has been drinking or using drugs. Assure your teen that they can always call you to come get them if they get stranded at a gathering.

•Not driving with friends in the car. We suggest that teens not be allowed to drive with friends or even younger siblings in the car for the first six to twelve months of having their license unless an adult is also in the car. Many states have instituted graduated licensing programs that also have this limitation. Distractions are one of the main causes of accidents for new drivers. And trying to keep track of conversations, playing around, or trying to act cool could lead to a crash.

• Not using cell phones or texting while driving.
•·New drivers should let parents know where they are going and when they plan to return.

•Curfews. Night driving is especially difficult for a new driver and more accidents happen in the 9:00 p.m.-2:00 A.M. timeframe than during the daylight hours. Set realistic curfews, but also tell teens that if they are running late, it’s always better to drive safely than speed to make up the minutes—and to call you if possible to let you know they are on the way home.

Consequences

The contract should specify what happens if the rules are broken. It’s a good idea to get your teen’s input on appropriate penalties. For example, a speeding ticket might result in the loss of driving privilege for a week and having to pay for the ticket.

The following is a sample contract that parents can modify by adding their own consequences to meet their needs.

Driving Contract

I __________________________, agree to the terms of this contract allowing me the privilege of driving my

own car or family vehicles If, at any time, I violate this agreement, the driving privilege will be forfeited to the extent and degree of violation.

1. I will obey all traffic laws and the posted speed limits and follow safe driving practices at all times.

2. I will not drink and drive, or use drugs and drive and will not have any liquor or beer or illegal drugs in the car at any time.

3. Should I get a traffic violation ticket, I agree to pay for the ticket as well as the difference in the insurance premium for as long as the premium is in effect.

4. I agree to pay for damages that I incur not covered by insurance including all deductibles.

5. I will never transport more than ______ passengers in the car and will not drive the car until all passengers have buckled up. For the first six months, I will not drive friends and siblings in the car unless an adult is present.

6. I will keep the car that I drive clean, inside and out take care of gas, oil, and maintenance requirements.

7. I will inform my parents about where I am driving, when I plan to return, and if I will be late coming home.

8. I will not make calls or text on my cell phone while driving.

Optional:

• I agree to pay for car insurance.

• I am allowed to drive the following family cars: list car or cars.

• My curfew for night driving is 10:00 p.m.

I have read the above agreement and do sign this in accordance with the rules.

Signed by Teen and Parents on the specific date.

Big boring and slow, the best choice for your teen driver!

2010-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

What cars and features are the best for teen drivers? Read below.

Big, boring and slow. That's the formula for teenage drivers, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit that analyzes auto safety and driving issues. • "The vehicle choice for teens is especially crucial because of their higher risk of getting into a crash," said Russ Rader, the institute's spokesman.

The highway safety institute agreed with many of the findings of Consumer Reports, which recently issued its list of the best cars for teen drivers and emphasized the importance of the electronic stability control safety feature.

Such systems sense when a vehicle begins to slide in a turn and applies the brakes to one or more of the auto's wheels to keep the car on course, said Jim Travers, the magazine's associate autos editor.

The feature will be required on 2012 model-year vehicles, Travers said.

According to the highway safety institute, electronic stability control reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes by 50 percent and fatal multiple vehicle crashes by 19 percent. Moreover, it slashes the potential for fatal vehicle rollover accidents in cars and SUVs by at least 72 percent.

Consumer Reports and the institute both said teen drivers need vehicles with as many safety features as possible, including antilock brakes and curtain air bags.

The crash risk is four times as high for 16- to 19-year-olds as for older drivers, per mile driven, according to the institute. At age 16, the crash rate is double what it is for 18- to 19-year-olds, it said.

A small, lightweight car is not a good vehicle for a teen driver, Rader said.

Consumer Reports is more lenient and has some small cars, including the Hyundai Elantra and the Mazda 3, among its recommendations.

The magazine suggests that teens drive late-model or new vehicles, which are more likely to have safety features and less likely to break down.

Its recommendations for larger vehicles include the Acura TSX, Honda Accord, Kia Optima, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Jetta. Travers acknowledged that some of these might be outside of a family's budget for teen transportation and recommended used conservative sedans with as many safety features as possible.

Both organizations suggest that parents should avoid SUVs and pickup trucks because of their high center of gravity and added rollover risk. They recommend staying away from performance and sports cars.

"The main issue with teens in general is that they overestimate their skills and underestimate their risks. Teens have a penchant for taking risks behind the wheel. They are more likely to speed, more likely to tailgate and they are less likely to wear their seat belts," Rader said.

Official statistics from the CDC

2010-05-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Many times people are unsure about the sources used to obtain statistics, so we thought we would use the stats from one of the country's big guns, the Center for Disease Control(CDC). The facts are sobering and we continue to ask all you parents to be tough. The facts are sobering.

Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.1 In 2008, nine teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash. Fortunately, teen motor vehicle crashes are preventable, and proven strategies can improve the safety of young drivers on the road.

How big is the problem?
In 2008, about 3,500 teens in the United States aged 15–19 were killed and more than 350,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes.1,2

Young people ages 15-24 represent only 14% of the U.S. population. However, they account for 30% ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28% ($7 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females.3

Who is most at risk?
The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.4

Among teen drivers, those at especially high risk for motor vehicle crashes are:

•Males: In 2006, the motor vehicle death rate for male drivers and passengers ages 15 to 19 was almost two times that of their female counterparts.1
•Teens driving with teen passengers: The presence of teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. This risk increases with the number of teen passengers.5
•Newly licensed teens: Crash risk is particularly high during the first year that teenagers are eligible to drive.4
What factors put teen drivers at risk?
•Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.6
•Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next). The presence of male teenage passengers increases the likelihood of this risky driving behavior.7
•Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes in 2005, 37% were speeding at the time of the crash and 26% had been drinking.8,9
•Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. In 2005, 10% of high school students reported they rarely or never wear seat belts when riding with someone else.10
•Male high school students (12.5%) were more likely than female students (7.8%) to rarely or never wear seat belts.10
•African-American students (12%) and Hispanic students (13%) were more likely than white students (10.1%) to rarely or never wear seat belts.10
•At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.10
•In 2008, 25% of drivers ages 15 to 20 who died in motor vehicle crashes had a BAC of 0.08 g/dl or higher.10
•In a national survey conducted in 2007, nearly three out of ten teens reported that, within the previous month, they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. One in ten reported having driven after drinking alcohol within the same one-month period.10
•In 2008, nearly three out of every four teen drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt.10
•In 2008, half of teen deaths from motor vehicle crashes occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight and 56% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.10
How can deaths and injuries resulting from crashes involving teen drivers be prevented?
There are proven methods to helping teens become safer drivers. Research suggests that the most comprehensive graduated drivers licensing (GDL) programs are associated with reductions of 38% and 40% in fatal and injury crashes, respectively, among 16-year-old drivers.1

Graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems are designed to delay full licensure while allowing teens to get their initial driving experience under low-risk conditions. For more information about GDL systems, see Teens Behind the Wheel: Graduated Drivers Licensing.

When parents know their state’s GDL laws, they can help enforce the laws and, in effect, help keep their teen drivers safe.

Teen drivers need tough love, be a parent, not a pal!

2010-05-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

For those of us who have young drivers in the household, this article is compelling and well worth reading. We have all heard much of what Ms. Ziegler is conveying in her article, but are we doing the hard part? Are we putting it into practice?

By Suzanne Ziegler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
The list of advice for parents of teen drivers is long. Have a firm stance against alcohol, always know the other kids they're out with, don't let them drive with a car full of teens, have firm rules and expectations with consequences if they're broken, be a good role model.

But experts say it comes down to hands-on, tough parenting and fighting off a desire to want to be your teen's friend.

"Too often, parents want to give away their responsibility as parents to the schools," said Bruce Novak, superintendent of the Cambridge-Isanti School District in Minnesota, where three high school students died and one was injured in a weekend crash that killed three others. "We're supposed to take care of all those issues and concerns that they're maybe uncomfortable with because they want to be the friend of their child. But our children need parents to guide them directly."

Parents, not pals

Novak said if teens aren't supposed to be out after 10 p.m., the parents should say, "'No, you're not supposed to be out.' And they can throw their little hissy fit and pout and go to their room and be mad. At what point in time do parents finally say: 'I'm going to be the parent. I'm the responsible one'"?

Bill Doherty, a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota, said parents have become more laid-back, even indulgent. But this is not the time for "wishy-washy" parenting.

"But what you'll hear from some parents is that kids are kids. You can't police them, and you want to keep open lines of communication and blah-blah. The thing is, you have to have as firm a policy as you can have against alcohol use, against your child driving with other teens at night," said Doherty. "Know who their friends are and know if their friends drink and monitor, monitor, monitor."

Like Novak, Doherty, a parenting expert, dismisses the idea that the best parent is a best friend.

"Many parents want to be buddies with their kids and don't want to come down too hard on them," he said. "And many parents have this idea, 'Well, the kids are going to use alcohol anyway, so why be the heavy, why talk about it that much?' What we know from the research is that teens who believe their parents are firmly against them drinking are less apt to drink. Our kids carry us in their brain, and that's why (you need) a firm hand, that 'you're too young to drink and it's not acceptable to me as your parent that you drink at all, let alone drink and drive.' "

Instill values, stay vigilant

Parents also have to realize that just because their son or daughter is a reasonable, responsible young adult doesn't mean their teen is that way around other teens.

"This is what parents need to know: Whatever maturity level your teenager shows alone, you cut it in half if there are other teens in the car," he said. "The more teens present, add alcohol and you get the maturity level of a 6-year-old."

Society is still turning over keys to multi-ton vehicles to young adults whose brains aren't fully mature until they're 25. So what are parents to do? Besides knowing who they're with and what they're doing, instill their values in their teens.

"You can't fully control them, but you can influence them," Doherty said. "We can't fully protect them, but we can reduce the odds that they'll be in that situation. That's what we're talking about."

Gordy Pehrson, youth alcohol and driving coordinator at the Office of Traffic Safety, agreed that teens, by their very nature, feel invincible and throw caution to the wind. Even when they're learning about driving laws, he said, it becomes just "noise" to them after a while.

"Teens know it's wrong to drink and drive, they know it's wrong to speed, they know it's wrong to not wear their seat belt — but they do it anyway," he said. "So I can't emphasize enough the importance of parents, their roles in safe driving with their teens. We can't legislate it, we can't force it down people's throats."

According to Novak, schools have taken on a growing role when it comes to drug and alcohol awareness and even seat belt safety, but he was quick to add schools can't do it all.

"How much more can we do without being there with the child every minute of every day? For me, it is parent responsibility," he said.

Parents should know that they'll need to bite the bullet, said Pehrson. "Kids say that they hate you. It's really tough to make it through those years."

Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/05/13/1311363/teen-drivers-need-tough-love-not.html#ixzz0nqMbDPAT

Tattle tale technology for Teen drivers, coming soon!

2010-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sitting atop the dashboard, she speaks in the same melodic, robotic voice as a GPS.

But this device tattles.

"Reduce speed now," she says, her screen turning red. "Text message will be sent if speeding continues."

It's only a demonstration, but soon, technology developed at the University of Minnesota could keep an electronic eye on teen drivers.

If they speed? Mom and Dad get a text. Don't fasten their seat belts? Car won't shift into drive. Fill their car with friends? Parents find out within seconds.

The researchers believe that technology is one key to reining in rogue drivers and preventing the kinds of crashes that killed 11 people last weekend.

"We'd like to change teens' behavior before they become the next statistics," said Max Donath, director of the U's Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute.

Devices exist that monitor speed or seat belts or cell phone use, but the U's technology -- called the Teen Driver Support System -- goes well beyond that.

"It is the first holistic system to be built and tested by any university or private company," said Michael Manser, director of the institute's HumanFIRST Program.

This month, researchers will test-drive their latest model on parents and teens in Washington and Dakota counties, which have the state's biggest numbers of teen driver fatalities.

"We want to make sure it's usable," Manser said. For example: "How often do parents really want to get text messages?"

Based on that feedback, the U will tweak the technology and later recruit families to use it for a few months. They hope that eventually, the technology will come with the car -- or be offered as a low-cost add-on.

Smart phones and keys

The first prototype, developed in 2006 with some funding from the state and federal departments of transportation, was a complicated, clunky, computer-based device that had to be installed in a car.

Teen Drivers Graduated Drivers License Laws, Go National

2010-04-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Nationwide Insurance Supports Senator’s Push for STANDUP Act to Promote Teen Driver Safety

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company today stated its support for the STANDUP Act which, if passed, would establish minimum requirements for state Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) laws that emphasize teen driver safety : by gradually introducing new teen drivers to the responsibility and skills involved in operating a motor vehicle.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today introduced the The Safe

Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act, which establishes minimum requirements for state GDL laws, promotes action with incentive grant funds, and imposes a sanction on states who fail to meet those requirements after three years.

Auto accidents are one of the leading causes of death among American teenagers. Since 1999, more than 80,000 people in the United States were killed in crashes involving teen drivers. Nationwide believes that to reduce teen crashes and fatalities we need stronger GDL laws, better public awareness of teen driving issues, and greater involvement of parents in teaching and coaching new teen drivers and using teen safe driving tips : .

In conjunction with the National Safety Council, Nationwide sponsored a national symposium on GDLs where research was released clearly showing the number of teen driver-related-crashes were reduced in states with strong GDL laws.

“Unfortunately, GDL laws vary widely by state and there are no states today that have all the model GDL components that research shows reduces teen crashes and fatalities,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide’s Consumer Safety Officer. “We believe the STANDUP Act will not only help to prevent teen crashes and reduce crash-related injuries, but more importantly, save lives.”

As a member of the Saferoads4teens Coalition, an alliance representing consumer, health, safety, insurance, and medical organizations, Nationwide supports GDL laws as an integral part of the solution.

“Nationwide believes all of us need to do a better job of raising awareness of the issue so that parents get more involved in teaching and coaching new teen drivers,” Windsor added.

Teenagers and Road Rage, Parents be aware and a good example!

2010-04-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Teenagers are impressed by flashy cars, speed & drivers who appear to own the road. Parents prone to road rage set a dangerous example for impressionable young motorists.

Teenagers can't wait to drive – one of the first steps to becoming independent adults. Classroom and online driving courses cover all aspects of driving, including driver courtesy, but teens don't always connect what they've learned in the classroom to what's on the road. At a very early age, kids learn a lot about driving from the examples they see in real life. Parents who curse and scream at other drivers, and who drive aggressively, are teaching teens that it's okay to get angry behind the wheel.

How Does Road Rage Start?
Teens old enough to operate a motor vehicle are still immature and have practically no solo driving experience. Hormones and brain development play a part in how teens react to emotional stimuli. Teens lack confidence in their ability and may fear having an accident or getting killed. A close call or coping with another motorist's blatant discourtesy causes sudden and overwhelming stress. The reaction is aggression toward the offending driver.

Video games are not all child's play and many are far from educational. The worst driving games have nothing to do with skill; motorists have the option to kill pedestrians, get involved in accidents, and damage property. Tragically, the glorified games featuring blood and gore can easily influence kids, but the number of teen fatalities from real life traffic accidents has very little impact on young drivers.

Games aren't the only bad influence on teenagers just starting to drive. For years, movies, TV shows, commercials, magazines and social expectations have been teaching kids that self worth is measured by a car's style and speed.

Parents begin teaching life skills from the moment a child is born. Every time a child or young teen gets into the family vehicle with a parent, he or she learns something about driver courtesy and a motorist's attitude behind the wheel. Whether parents want to admit it or not, many have taught their teenagers the finer points of physical and verbal road rage.

Signs a Teen May be Prone to Road Rage
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA) statistics cited on the page, "Aggressive Driving: Three Studies" (Report by Louis Mizell, Inc., for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2009), "An average of at least 1,500 men, women, and children are injured or killed each year in the United States as a result of 'aggressive driving.'"

How can a parent tell if a teen might have a tendency toward road rage? First of all, don't wait until a young person is old enough to get a driving learner's permit to begin analyzing his or her driving character.

•When a teen is a passenger, does he (or she) make aggressive comments or display an angry attitude toward a motorist that's made a mistake?
•Is the teen short-tempered, rude, easily angered, or is he quick to criticize other people?
•Does the teen frequently display extreme emotional tendencies at home, such as yelling and screaming?
•Does he take responsibility for his actions at home, at school, and at work?
•What kind of behavior does the teen (and other young family members) see when a parent drives?
•Does the teen look or act thrilled when a parent or other adult driver tries to "get even" or yells obscenities at an offending motorist?
•Does the teen "show off" at home in front of his friends or try to act macho?
•Is the teen behind the wheel obsessed with speed or slow traffic, and does he take too many chances?
How a Parent Can Stop Teen Road Rage
Teens are influenced by other adults as well as peers who may drive recklessly – or have a reckless attitude about driving. What can parents do when a teen driver shows road rage?

1.Take away the keys. This is not a drastic measure, but may very well be a lifesaving step.
2.When everyone is calm, discuss with the teen his aggressive behavior and improvements that will have to be made before the keys can be returned. Be firm.
3.Ride with the teen until completely convinced the teen's behavior has improved.
4.Seek professional help for teen anger if necessary.
5.Ask other parents, teachers, and any adult who knows the teen to be observant and report any temper outbursts or driving incidences that might indicate an anger problem.
6.Don't make the mistake of thinking teen driver aggression is "only a phase" or "he'll grow out of it".
Parents are responsible for setting good examples for kids of any age. Teenagers learning to drive may demonstrate the same good or bad behaviors as a parent when behind the wheel of a car.

A parent can look for clues that a teen may be too aggressive to drive safely. Parents who suspect a teen is guilty of road rage are strongly urged to take action before someone gets hurt. Taking away the car keys and/or seeking professional help for teen anger is not going too far, but is in fact acting responsibly. Allowing a teen to continue his aggression toward other drivers could ultimately lead to tragedy.

Pemco Once again leads the way with Teen Driver Info!

2010-04-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Once again Pemco takes the lead in keeping our focus on keeping teen drivers safe! We at Sav-on feel Pemco is a leader in our area for keeping us informed with the latest information.

SEATTLE,April 13/PRNewswire/ -- A recent poll by PEMCO Insurance, the state's largest local insurance company, reveals that Washington drivers want stricter penalties for teen drivers who violate Washington's intermediate license law.

The poll, taken at the end of 2009, shows that 51 percent of licensed drivers believe that intermediate-license violations should be strengthened from a secondary to a primary offense. As a primary offense, the law would allow police to issue tickets to teens solely for violating the intermediate license law's passenger or curfew restrictions.

Buzz The 2001 law makes it illegal for newly licensed teen drivers to drive with passengers under 20 years old who are not immediate family members, and for those teens to drive unaccompanied between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. Intermediate drivers must abide by these restrictions during the first six months of having a driver license.

"Sixteen and 17-year-olds in particular are inexperienced drivers, and any sort of distraction, whether it's from a cell phone or a friend in the front seat, increases the risk of a crash," said Jon Osterberg, PEMCO spokesperson. "The intermediate license law helps teens gain skill and experience in a safe setting."

PEMCO also asked drivers if intermediate license laws are enforced with the teen drivers in their own households. Of those with teenage drivers, 84 percent of parents said they enforce the state's laws with their teens. Additionally, three out of four parents (76 percent) enforce other driving-privilege rules aside from what the law requires.

Washington's intermediate license law also requires parents to accompany their teens for 50 hours of practice driving, including 10 hours at night, before teens can get their driver license.

Best/Worst States rankings for Teen Driving safety

2010-04-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

The report, published by the online-only U.S. News & World Report and released Thursday with help from Allstate Insurance, gave Minnesota high marks for seat-belt and drunken-driving enforcement, as well as an "excellent" rating for laws addressing distracted driving. However, it also noted that the state does not require motorcycle riders to wear helmets.

Joining Minnesota in the top 10, in order: the District of Columbia, California, Colorado, Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Utah and Washington state.

As for other Upper Midwest states, Wisconsin was 41st, Iowa 49th, North Dakota 50th and South Dakota 51st.

The magazine said that South Dakota allows teenagers to drive at 14 and "has some of the nation's more lax laws regarding driving while intoxicated or distracted."

"The rankings don't adequately reflect highway safety in South Dakota,'' says James Carpenter, director of the state Office of Highway Safety.

South Dakota's laws aren't necessarily as weak as the rankings would suggest, he said. "If you are arrested in South Dakota for a DUI, you give blood,'' Carpenter said. "We're trying to get these people off the road before they get to the point of being in a fatal car crash.'' That's a tougher standard than many states have for blood draws in the event of highway crashes, he said.

South Dakota does issue driver licenses at age 14, but it has a graduated system that includes strict supervision of the young driver, with increasing freedom as the teen-ager demonstrates driving skill and judgment.

The full state rankings, including the methodology, are available at www.usnews.com/teendrivers. In producing the rankings, researchers reviewed comprehensive government statistics on teen driving as well as a range of factors specifically affecting young drivers.

"Car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens today," said U.S. News editor Brian Kelly. "By compiling the most critical information on driving safety, [the ranking] can raise awareness among families and help them address safety concerns with their teenage drivers."

"Kyleigh's Law"

2010-03-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

TRENTON — New Jersey will soon be the first state to alert police when a young driver is behind the wheel.

The Motor Vehicles Commission is unveiling red decals that motorists under the age of 21 must display on their license plates.
The reflective red stickers will help police identify drivers in order to enforce restrictions on passenger limits and 11 p.m. curfews.

The stickers, which take effect May 1, are removable and will cost $4.

Attorney General Paula Dow and MVC officials will announce the implementation of "Kyleigh's Law" at an MVC office in Freehold Wednesday.

Kyleigh D'Alessio was a 16-year-old central New Jersey high school student who was killed in a vehicle driven by another teen in 2006.

Will this help to reduce teen accidents behind the wheel?

Young Texas Drivers to Complete Class Before Licensure

2010-03-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

A new law which went into effect March 1st requires drivers aged 18-24 to complete an approved driver education course. They must submit their certificate proving they successfully completed the course, which must be a course approved by the Texas Education Agency.

Successful completion of the course allows the license applicant to bypass the written highway signs and traffic laws test, but still must pass the driving skills exam.

Drivers aged 15 to 17 are not affected by this new law since they are still required to complete a driver's education class to be licensed.

TIWI, Creating Bad Habits?

2010-03-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

You remember TIWI? The friendly teen driver GPS device that speaks to your teen telling them to slow down, that they've made a hard brake or hard acceleration (among other things). Read our post on TIWI from late January.

Well, TIWI has made it back in the local public spotlight with King 5 news. TIWI does most things that the other teen driver GPS devices do (tracking and reporting back to the parent with a text message or e-mail), but again, TIWI has set itself apart with a vocal alert which will continue until the teen has followed direction-- such as slowing down.

But is it this very vocal alert that might create a reliance on driving habits? For example, if 17-year-old Kayla is driving mindlessly, slowly but surely reaching speeds upwards of 80 miles per hour, TIWI will alert her to slow down when she goes 10 MPH over the speed limit! So in theory, Kayla will slow down. But take TIWI away, who is going to tell her to slow down?

Insurance Study Shows Distracted Driving Bans Are Not Effective in Reducing the Number of Crashes

2010-02-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Highway Loss Data Institute studied insurance claims before and after distracted driving bans took place in California, New York, Connecticut, and Washington, DC and found that driver's are not following the ban; there have been no changes in the number of crashes.

They also looked at neighboring states which have not enacted such bans and found the same results.

What is it going to take for teens and adults to realize that texting or even distracted driving in general is a danger?...to themselves and others.
Or do we just need a more convenient way to communicate while we drive?

Girl vs. Boy: Gap Closing on Risky Driving Behaviors

2010-02-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

Teen boy drivers have notoriously higher insurance rates, due to their aggressive and risky driving behavior...and the crash rates to prove it. But the gap in risky behavior between teen boys and girls seems to be closing according to a recent report from The Allstate Foundation.

In the study, girls admit to speeding, texting, and acting aggressively behind the wheel more than boys. But the survey statistics haven't translated into crash statistics. But if the trend continues, it could result in higher premiums for girls.

"Experience still shows female drivers are safer than boys at this age," Allstate spokesman Raleigh Floyd said. "Until those figures change, our rating isn't going to change."

But even so, the rates have grown a little. Twenty years ago, it cost an average of 50% more to insure a young male than young female. These days it's about 20% to 30% more. "There is still a gap, but it's getting smaller all the time," said Thomas DeFalco, an actuary at the New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co.

And Sam Belden, vice president at Insurance.com, said data compiled through the online agency show that premiums for 16-year-old girl drivers have risen about $500 over the last two years, while those for boys in the same age group have been roughly flat.

Most chalk it up to distractions. DVD players, MP3 players, friends in the car...and maybe it boils down to plain boredom. Everyone is in such a hurry.

Kristen Marzano, 17, has had her license for about five months and admitted that sometimes she puts on her makeup or fixes her hair in the car or plays with her MP3 player.

"It's mostly I wait until the last minute to do everything," she said. "If I'm going to drive, I'm running out the door, dropping things. I guess it's just being disorganized."

Check out the statistics from the study below...parents and teens alike, are you one of the numbers?

Click to enlarge

Thank you to Chicago Tribune

Young Woman Drives Drunk While Nursing Child

2010-02-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Just came across a shocking article about an event that took place April of last year...

A 19-year-old woman in Alice Springs, Australia was breast feeding her 5-month-old child after leaving a bar and was, evidently SO intoxicated, that she almost hit the police car that pulled her over and then couldn't function enough to do the breathalyzer test. The vehicle she was driving was unregistered and uninsured vehicle and she wasn't licensed to drive.

How appalling...it almost sounds made up.

Oprah Winfrey and Progressive's "No Phone Zone"

2010-01-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

During her show today (Jan. 22), Oprah Winfrey announced that Progressive is sponsoring the No Phone Zone campaign, an awareness campaign designed to educate drivers on the dangers of cell phone use while driving. Drivers are encouraged to visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone to sign a pledge to not use cell phones while driving.

Ms. Winfrey launched the campaign January 15, and already, over 45,000 people have signed the pledge.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, close to 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 are killed each year as a result of drivers talking, texting, or e-mailing while behind the wheel.

“This sponsorship fits well with our brand. We encourage all drivers to operate their vehicles safely,” states Karen Barone, Agency Distribution leader. “In fact, we feel so strongly about this that Progressive employees are prohibited from using any electronic equipment, including cell phones, while driving on behalf of Progressive.”

For more information--or if you'e like to sign the pledge yourself--please visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone.

Another Teen Driver Tracking Device Hits the Market

2010-01-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Like many of the teen driver tracking devices, Tiwi will send a text, e-mail, or voice alert to the parent or guardian of the young driver.

Tiwi does have some other interesting features, however. It is situated on the windshield of the vehicle to give voice alerts when the driver violates things like speeding, hard turns, and seatbelt use. The placement of the Tiwi also allows an "e-Call" to to an emergency operator through the e-Call feature. Parents and guardians can also call directly to the unit to speak to the teen.

The device can be installed by the parent or can be installed for about $60, the website says; no information on operating cost was found.

Texting Ban Leaves Teens Frustrated and Targeted

2009-12-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

New texting-while-driving laws in North Carolina, which went into effect December 1st, have some teens frustrated and feeling targeted.

The North Carolina newspaper, DailyAdvance, speaks with one girl about her texting habits. She admits to sending about 200 per day and texting while driving. But she's not the only one. The Pew Research Center released a study this month revealing that 1-in-4 American teens has sent a text message while driving.

19 states have jumped on board with the text-while-driving ban, but NC teens are feeling targeted.

Shanequa Riddick, 18, says she’s glad that law enforcement will be cracking down, but that text messaging has become a nationwide phenomenon, one that is catching on with all age groups.

“I think (the ban is) fair, because it could cause you to have an accident, but even older people do it,” Riddick says.

Kieshaih Holloway, 19, calls the focus on teen drivers “frustrating.”

“They say we have more problems with accidents and problems in the road. We’re just now learning (how to be safe drivers), but the whole texting thing (adults) make it just as big of a risk as we do,” Holloway says.

19 Year Old Driver Calls to Report Herself as Drunk Driver

2009-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

According to a Washington State Patrol release, a 19-year-old Auburn woman was arrested for physical control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated after calling 911 to report herself as “very drunk” while stopped on the shoulder of state Route 167 in King County.

At about 5 a.m. Nov. 16, patrol communications received a cellular 911 call from Alysha McInnis claiming that she pulled to the shoulder of southbound SR 167 in Auburn because she was intoxicated and began to lose her vision. McInnis told the dispatcher that she was underage and very drunk. She advised the dispatcher that she was given alcohol at a party without her knowledge and her friends told her that she could call 911 to have the police come pick her up and take her to the hospital to detox.

When a trooper contacted McInnis, she claimed that her arm was numb and she had blurry vision. The trooper noted that McInnis had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and appeared extremely intoxicated. The trooper observed a 20 ounce alcohol energy drink in the cup holder which contained 12 percent alcohol. McInnis advised the trooper that she was drinking the alcohol drink while driving and that she had drank four of the same drinks at the party.

After further investigation, the trooper believed all the symptoms she was experiencing were a result of the amount of alcohol she drank both at the party and on her way home.

McInnis was processed for physical control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated and transported to Auburn Regional Medical Center where she was released for detox treatment.

Thank you to PNWLocalNews.com

Teens Take on the Distracted Driving Course

2009-11-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

To help teens understand the dangers of distracted driving, Allstate Insurance brought a group of young drivers (many newly licensed), to a distracted driving course.

Watch the video here on the LasVegasNow.com website to see the distracted teen drivers in action.

Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens. In Las Vegas, more teens have already died behind the wheel this year than all of last year.

Firm Parents Keep Teen Drivers Safe

2009-10-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

From HealthDay News -- Your parenting style can make a huge difference in your teen's safety once he or she gets behind the wheel of a car.

Parents who set firm rules, but do so in a helpful, supportive way, can reduce the likelihood of their teen getting into an auto accident by half and decrease rates of drinking and driving, two new studies find. Positive rule-setting can also increase the odds a teen will wear a seatbelt and lessen the likelihood of talking or texting on a cell phone while driving.

Teens who had authoritative or authoritarian parents wore seatbelts twice as often as teens with uninvolved parents. Teens with parents in these groups were also half as likely to speed as those with uninvolved parents. Teens with authoritative parents -- high support and rules -- were half as likely to get into a car accident, 71 percent less likely to drink and drive, and 29 percent less likely to talk or text on their cell phones while driving compared to teens with uninvolved parents.

Read the full article: Firm Parents Keep Teen Drivers Safe.

Ford Premieres "MyKey"

2009-09-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ford Motor Company has debuted their own safe teen driver device with "MyKey" which allows parents to program a special key to promote safe driving habits.

Andrew Sarkisian is Ford's safety director, and one of the creators of MyKey, an invention inspired partly by the experiences of his daughter, Jennifer.

"Say I want to turn on MyKey, and I want to make sure my son or daughter's buckled up. If they're not, the radio won't operate," he said.

You can also set a speed limit with MyKey. "It has a maximum top speed that you can turn on to the vehicle. It's a fairly high one, but then there's also speed alerts, so you can have reminders about watching your speed, as well," Sarkisian explained.

MyKey is standard equipment in the brand new Taurus and will be standard on Ford's lowest-priced vehicle, the Ford Focus.

Click here to learn more about MyKey.

Auto Insurance Money Saving Tips

2009-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already added your teen driver to your insurance policy, we should warn you now, it's gonna be pricey. But we've found a few ways you can lower your cost during this new development in both of your lives.

Money Saving Tip #1) Raise your deductible. Your “deductible” is the amount you pay when you make a claim before your insurance “kicks in”. In other words, if you have a $1,000 claim and a $250 deductible, you pay the first $250 and your insurance company pays the next $750.

The disadvantage of raising your deductible is that when you make a claim, you’ll pay more. The advantage of raising your deductible is that your premium will go down, sometimes as much as 15% to 30% on your collision and comprehensive insurance.

Money Saving Tip #2) Drop your collision and/or comprehensive insurance on older vehicles. Sometimes it’s just not worth paying for comprehensive and collision if your car is not worth that much to begin with. That’s because the amount you pay for the deductible plus the amount you pay for the premium may be more than the value of the car itself. A rule of thumb is that if a car is worth less than $2,000, drop these coverage’s -- but many people are comfortable with even higher figures. Go to Kelly Blue Book at KBB.com to determine the value of your vehicle.

Money Saving Tip #3) Buy a “lower profile” vehicle. Part of what determines the cost of insurance is the kind of car you own. Some cars are favorite cars for thieves. Some cars are more expensive to repair. Generally, these cars will cost more to insure. To get detailed information on your car – or car you’re thinking about buying –give our office a call for the symbol rating for a vehicle. The symbol rating can be used for comparing rates from one vehicle to another. We do this for all of our clients for free.

Money Saving Tip #4) Insure your automobile with the same company that insures your home. Most companies offer discounts when you have all your insurance with the same company. You can save up to 20% on your auto insurance premiums if you have your homeowners insurance and auto insurance with the same company. You will also get a discount on your homeowners.

Money Saving Tip #5) Keep on eye on your credit score. What does credit have to do with insurance? It has a lot to do with it today. In the past few years, insurance companies started using credit for underwriting. It is used to place people in certain pricing tiers and responsibility is why. They believe that if someone is responsible enough to keep their credit clean, they are responsible enough to drive safe. Believe it or not, the numbers prove this works in general. Insurance is a numbers game and in order to be competitive, they must save where they can.

Money Saving Tip #6) Check out other discounts. Insurance companies try to reward drivers what they think are good risks. That’s the kind of driver they want. Responsible and safety conscious drivers are going to pay lower premiums. Claims free discounts and superior credit will allow you to be insured with a company that has the lowest premiums available. There are other discounts like automatic seat belts, airbags, mature drivers, and safe drivers. Another great discount is the “Good Student” discount. Companies that specialize in insuring young drivers will offer this valuable discount. Call us about these and other discounts that are currently being offered in our area.

Money Saving Tip #7) Use an independent agent that specializes in family protection. Don’t trust your hard earned dollars to someone that works directly for one insurance company. Use someone that can “shop” your premium with several companies. This agent will look out for your interests and keep your premiums down for the long term. Insurance companies experience good times and bad times depending on their losses for a given year or years. If your insurance company has significantly increased their premiums for more than a year or two, it may be time for your agent to “shop” for you. If you are using an agent that works for just one company, they won’t be doing much “shopping”. You’ll have to cut back on your coverage and make changes that can increase your liability.

PEMCO: Texting While Driving Rate Up

2009-08-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

PEMCO Insurance issued a news release, August 25, that reveals more Washingtonians are texting while driving. The PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll, conducted by FBK Research, shows that of those who use electronic devices, more of them – 18% – admit to reading or sending text messages while driving than in February 2008, when only 6% said they did so. Ironically, the same poll found that increasing numbers of drivers are concerned that texting while driving is a dangerous distraction.

Under Your Influence, a website dedicated to parents of teen drivers maintains the following:

They'd probably never tell you this but your teen really does look up to you. Under the layers of music, school activities, problems with friends, rebellion, struggles, and joys is your teen, and they need you to guide them in what they should and should not do. It's pretty clear that car crashes are the number one cause of death among teens, and if we all just ignore the problem, it's not going to go away.

Moral of the story? Monkey see, monkey do. It's still dangerous for you, even as a parent, to be texting while driving. It's even worse to do it in front of your teen.

Under Your Influence also gives these practice tips on driving with your teen:

Don't be pushy
You are in control
Set some basic ground rules
Pack your patience
Don't talk down to your teen while you're teaching them how to drive
Be sure to give specific praise to your teen while they drive
Set a specific agenda for each time you take your teen out to practice
Keep your conversations focused on driving
Set a time limit that both you and your teen can agree on
Keep a driving log while you practice
Don't stop talking to your teen after they get their license

Teenage Driver Guilty of Murder, Facing 15 Years to Life

2009-08-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, 18 year old Milad Moulayi (an unlicensed driver) had been warned not to drive, hours before a fatal crash, by a juvenile court judge. He was also told by several friends minutes before that he was too drunk to drive after an evening of rum shots.

His classmate, 16 year old MacKenzie Frazee, who lived about 2 miles away and was not wearing shoes at the time, allowed Moulayi to drive her home. Minutes later she was killed in a high speed crash. Moulayi was taken to a nearby hospital for minor injuries.

Orange County District Attorney Investigator Wes Vandiver, an accident reconstruction expert, stated that evidence shows Moulayi lost control of his mother's Mercedes Benz while driving in speeds of 100+ MPH, crossed over the center median, knocked over two road signs, and then laid down over 500 feet of skid marks before hitting a concrete pole which sliced the Mercedes in half.

Deputy District Attorney Susan Price argued that Moulayi, who was prosecuted as an adult, should be convicted of second-degree murder rather than vehicular manslaughter because he knew that driving while intoxicated was dangerous to human life but he decided to do so anyway.

Price later added that she hoped the verdict sends a message to young people that "you don't get a free murder just because you are young. … If you choose to engage in drinking and driving, you face serious consequences."

Thank you to OC Register

Distractions Pose a Huge Threat to Teen Drivers

2009-07-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

Car accidents remain the #1 killer of teens in the United States and studies have shown that teens that drive with other teens in the car heighten the risk of a crash.

A survey was conducted with 5000 high school students. This is the information they found:

90% of teens said friends in car distracted the driver

89% of teens said that friends used cell phones while they drove

79% of teens said passengers and/or the driver danced and sang in the vehicle

20% of 9th - 11th graders have been involved in at least one car crash within the last year

Drunk driving campaigns have been effective in teens as most teen crashes are not alcohol related. Now we all need to drive home the fact that distraction is bigger than anything.

Cost of Hit & Run

2009-07-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Your teen has just gotten in their first accident backing up in a parking lot. Quickly they look around to see if anyone else had witnessed the accident and speed away.

They've committed a hit and run.

Little did they know, security cameras have caught the whole thing on tape and now they'll pay the price.

In Washington State, the fine is $5000 and/or a year in jail plus restitution (payment to the victim of the crime for bodily injuries and/or damages) and court costs and fines.

In addition, depending on the circumstances, there could be prison time, community service, court costs, attorney fees...

In all, you and your teen could be looking at thousands and thousands of dollars.

Kids Club Carnival CANCELED

2009-07-10T17:24:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, we've had to cancel the Kids Club Carnival this year. We are slated to do this next year with even more fun and games than we originally planned.

Donations for Northwest Harvest are still encouraged (monetary and non-perishable food items) at all 6 of our locations. You can find our locations and directions by going to our site: www.sav-on.com.

Teen Driver Kills Gentleman, Charged with Manslaughter

2009-07-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

16-year-old Brooklyn, New York resident Dervish Nivokazi, was charged recently with manslaughter after he killed 65-year-old Zak Stanislaw who was waiting at a bus stop.

Police say that Nivokazi was speeding in a 2005 Mazda, hit a Toyota, and then slammed into Stanislaw who was pronounced dead minutes after the 9:20pm crash.

Nivokazi had only a junior license (similar to Washington's intermediate license) which prohibits driving after 9pm. He was treated for minor injuries at Lutheran Hospital. The driver of the Toyota was not injured.

According to Wiley Norvell of Transportation Alternatives, only 29 drivers in New York State have been charged with negligent homicide from 1994 to 2008 despite thousands of pedestrians and bicyclists that have been killed.

Teen Crashes Cost $34 Billion Per Year

2009-06-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

A study released by the American Auto Association (AAA) estimates that crashes involving drivers 15-17 years of age accounted for over $34 billion in 2006 alone.

The study stated that these teen drivers were involved in nearly a million crashes in 2006, injuring 406,427 people and killing 2,541. Fatality costs were estimated to cost $3.841 million in lost wages, lawsuits, emergency response crew wages, and medical expenses while injury accidents post an average of $50,512 per incident.

Washington State requires liability limits of at least $25,000/$50,000 for bodily injury and $10,000 for property damage. If you cause an accident that exceeds these limits you must pay the difference out of pocket.

With a newly licensed teen driver, we strongly suggest raising your limits...and maybe consider an umbrella policy which provides extra coverage to your home and auto in a single limit of insurance; usually $1 million or $2 million is common but some companies offer a limit of $5 million or more. Check back next week for more information on umbrella policies!

Thank you to ohmygov.com

New York Tightens Teen Driving Laws

2009-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Albany, New York is in the process of enacting new teen driving laws to bring down teen driver and passenger fatalities.

Currently, teens are able to get their license within the first 6 months of their permit with only 20 hours required of parent observation. The new bill raises that to 6 months of permit driving until even being able to schedule the road test and 50 hours or observed driving with 15 of those being night driving.

The bill would ban the use of electronic devices, handheld or other, and reduce the number of non-family drivers to one until age 21.

The bill also closes loopholes where teens were able to plea-bargain driving offenses to reduce them to non-moving violations, and thus avoiding points being added to their driving record. The only drawback to this is many parents pay for the driver's insurance so maybe having some court appointed volunteer work would actually be more appropriate.

One place the bill may falter, however, is drivers will be able to get their full license at age 17 whereas the federal bill restricts a full license until age 18.

36% of teen deaths are caused by motor vehicle accidents, and teen drivers are twice as likely to die in crashes as are adult drivers, studies show.

Thank you to Buffalo News.

Teen Crashes: Highest on Saturday and Sunday Night

2009-06-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's important to educate yourself-- as a parent and a teen driver. Below are 2 tables of information. Look them over carefully and you'll notice 2 things. Crash rates for teen drivers are most risky on Saturday and Sunday nights. Does this come as a surprise to you? Maybe not. But the awareness alone is imporant.

Share this with your teen driver. Do they notice a difference in the way they drive on weekends? Night driving vs. day driving, in general? Are they driving friends? Are they excited to go to a party or event? What is it about night and weekend driving for teens?

Teenage motor vehicle crash deaths by day of week, 2007
Day of Week	Deaths	%
Sunday	953	19
Monday	568	12
Tuesday	531	11
Wednesday	566	11
Thursday	571	12
Friday	795	16
Saturday	962	20
Total*	4946	100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Teenage motor vehicle crash deaths by time of day, 2007
Time of Day	Deaths	%
Midnight-3am	747	15
3am-6am	470	10
6am-9am	393	8
9am-noon	301	6
Noon-3pm	498	10
3pm-6pm	822	17
6pm-9pm	776	16
9pm-midnight	900	18
Total*	4,946	100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Help Your Teenage Driver Make Safe Choices

2009-05-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Neither a borrower nor a lender be. That's a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Advice from a father, Polonius, to his teenage son. There are two reasons why this is good teenage driving advice.

First: Lending a car to another teen is potentially dangerous. There will be a teenage driver, which statistically means a poor driver; there will be other teenagers in the car; there will probably be elevated emotions as a result; there will probably be overconfidence about driving skill in general since teens usually lend and borrow cars after they've driven only a few months; and, by definition, the teen is not driving his or her "regular" car -- it's a borrowed car.

Second: An insurance policy typically insures the vehicle for bodily injury and property damage only if the registered owner is driving it, or if it's being driven with the permission of the registered owner. Teenagers seldom are the registered owners -- parents are. So when teens lend to teens, there might be no insurance. Zero. The parent has not given the friend permission to drive. This means that your own teenager, riding as a passenger in your car, may not have coverage, because a teenage friend is doing the driving. If your children appreciate this, they may choose not to lend the keys to their friends.

Passengers get hurt, too. At some point, your teenagers will be passengers in a car driven by another teenager. Passengers can get hurt, too, worse than drivers. So let's look at passenger safety. Here are some points to discuss with your young driver.

Don't ride with someone again if you didn't like their driving the first time.
Wear a seat belt, even if no one else wears theirs.
Let the driver concentrate. Don't encourage speed, loud music, horseplay, etc.
Avoid alcohol, even as a passenger. It increases rowdiness, noise, distractions.

These are difficult things for a teenager to do. They require going against the grain, doing what isn't fun, doing what isn't emotional. That takes a lot of leadership.

That means doing what you know, inside, is the right thing to do. The smart thing to do. The responsible thing to do. Your child might even be pleasantly surprised and find out that the other occupants of the car agree-- they wanted to settle down, too, but they were afraid to say so.

Thank you to PEMCO Insurance Company

To Drive or Not To Drive!

2009-05-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

To Drive or not to Drive!

And that really is the question! What age is the right age for a teenager to get their drivers license?

The age and requirements vary state-to-state and have varied laws concerning all aspects of when, where and how teens may drive.

We pose the question regarding readiness to the parents.
Even if the age to get a license in your state is 16, you must ask yourself is your teen mature enough and ready for the responsibility?

No parent wants to say no to their children but feelings and emotions involving things like peer pressure and the ability to impress their friends have no place behind the wheel of a car. Being that traffic deaths are the number 1 reason for high mortality rates in teenagers.

Let's face it, driving is all about responsibility. Are your kids good with following the rules, doing the chores, handling their emotional ups and downs sensibly? Only you know how your child will measure up to these questions.

Here are some ideas from another parent.

Many parents "basically cut their kids loose the minute they get their driver's license." That was not the case with the Cox family's oldest child, Rachel, who turned 16 in January and got her license in April. The decision to allow her to drive was tied to certain rules. Among them:

She's not allowed to use a cell phone while driving. Cox checks the itemized statement to ensure the rule is followed.

She's not permitted to have passengers (except for family) for at least a year. Cox sometimes bends this rule, depending on where her daughter is going and with whom.

Rachel must continue to drive with her parents on occasion, so they can observe. And she's required to enroll in a New Driver Car Control Clinic.

There was never any room for negotiation. Donna Cox has had the rules in mind since 1997, when she helped her best friend bury her 16-year-old son in Louisville. He had been driving just four days.

"His death notice and picture have hung on my kitchen cabinet for the last nine years," Cox says, "so it's a daily reminder."

Starting School Day Later Lowers Auto Accidents

2009-04-30T05:00:00.001-07:00

Letting teens sleep a little more by starting the school day a bit later may lower their odds for car crash injury or death, a new study finds. The researchers found a 16.5% drop in auto accident rates for teen drivers when high schools moved the start of classes from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

The possible reason? More sleep, more alert driving, the researchers said.

After puberty, adolescents are biologically programmed to stay up about an hour later each night. People blame teenagers' sleep deprivation on computers and staying up late to e-mail friends. Probably true, but there is evidence teens get phase-shifted by at least an hour. So you've got biology pushing you later and then you've got the school systems starting an hour earlier. By the end of the week, [kids] are a wreck and our study shows they might actually be in one."

In the study, researchers surveyed around 10,000 students from grades 6 through 12 on their sleep habits and daytime functioning, including auto mishaps. The surveys were completed twice -- first in 1998, when school started at 7:30 a.m., and then again in 1999, when the start time had been moved to 8:30 a.m.

Besides the 16.5% drop in car crashes, the researchers also found that the number of students who got at least eight hours of sleep per night rose from 35.7% in 1998 to 50% after the later school time came into effect.

Kids need at least eight hours and probably closer to nine hours of sleep, Danner said. And as little as an hour less sleep on school nights can have a cumulative effect. That means that by the end of the week, teens are as impaired as if they had stayed up for 24 hours straight.

Discuss this with your kids and alert them to their need to get plenty of sleep.

We're on Twitter!

2009-04-23T10:56:00.001-07:00

Check us out on the hottest new social network, Twitter! You can find us at www.twitter.com/SAVONSAM

Find out INSTANTLY when we've posted a blog, if you're the winner of our referral program ($50 dinners or the 32" HDTV!), or for exclusive contests!

Distractions and the Common Teen Driver

2009-04-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's not just alcohol and the drugs that increase the fatality risks for teen drivers, in fact probably a far more common risk is driving distractions.

Distractions for anyone, even experienced drivers, can be an extremely dangerous thing. But then you add inexperience to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster.

Let's look at some of the most deadly and prevalent distractions facing teen drivers today. First, according to a 2008 statistic 87% of the 6,000 teen drivers that die every year is because of driving with distractions. That pretty much says it all!

What Are The Distractions?
Well a major one is texting and cell phone usage. There are new laws in the State of Washington that ban usage of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle but that alone won't always deter teens from trying to read that ever so important text message.

Another distraction is eating and drinking, trying to pass around a box of cookies or getting a sip of a soda can be as dangerous a distraction as texting.

And other concerns for teen drivers is usage of the radio or CD player in the car, putting on makeup, or flirting with that cute guy or gal walking on the sidewalk. We once heard of a car full of “cute guys” getting the attention of a girl in the vehicle traveling next to them on a major interstate. The distraction was enough to cause an accident but believe it or not, they drove closer and closer to pass a cell phone to the female driver so she could type in her number. Then, they inched closer again (traveling at 60 miles per hour, mind you) so she could pass the phone back. Surprisingly, no one got hurt and no accidents were caused. But it’s just this type of reckless decision making that make teens such dangerous drivers!

Parents are dealing with protecting their young teen drivers by many methods but primarily we are suggesting that parents contact their insurance company for pointers on how to guide their children into becoming safe and responsible drivers. Many companies offer or can refer you to a company that offers GPS tracking devices (we offer Teensurance through Safeco—learn more at www.teensurance.com.) The GPS works by alerting the parent by e-mail, voice delivery, or text to let them know if the teen driver has broken any of the set “agreements” of the parent/teen contract. The agreements include curfew, areas they’re not allowed to drive in, and speed. The GPS is installed in the dash, professionally, and then is updated in real time on a website where parents can log in with a designated username and password.

There are other options beside the GPS but we strongly suggest that you are proactive with your teen driver. Inquire about pertinent literature, take advantage of any safety courses with driving instructors or your insurance company, and most of all, stay in touch and in constant dialog with your teen drivers for safety's sake. It could mean their life.

More questions regarding Teensurance through Safeco? You can e-mail us at info@sav-on.com. We also give discounts.

Exciting Update!

2009-04-20T13:00:00.001-07:00

A quick update-- We're in the works of getting video postings on the blogs. The Flip and Flip Mino has taken the country by storm and we're hoppin on the Flip train!

What do you want to see? What do you want to know? Insurance related or not, we'd like to be a wealth of information to you on home, auto, catastrophe information and more.

Did you know we have another blog? SAV-ON Blog. Check it out!

Finding a Good Driving Instructor

2009-04-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you're lucky enough to be in the North Seattle metro area, we hands down recommend A-Team Driving School. The owner/instructor, Bill, is excellent. Brittany is also an instructor and is great too. If you're not in that area though-- here are some important questions to ask when you're looking.

How long have you been a driving instructor?
Do you have male or female instructors?
Are all your instructors fully qualified?
Can I have the same instructor for all my lessons?
What type of cars do you use?
Are the cars dual controlled?
How old are the cars?
Do I have the same car for every lesson?
Do you work weekends?
How much are your lessons? (Cheap doesn't always equal best.)
Do you have discounts?
What's your pass rate?
How long is each lesson?
Any fees for lesson cancellation?

Some other good questions to ask if a friend/family member is referring you:

Are they reliable?
Are they friendly and patient?
Does the instructor smoke?

Cell Phone Enabled GPS Tracking Device Created by Teen

2009-04-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

At just 20 years old, Jonathan Fischer has created a Cell Phone GPS Teen Tracking Device which measures speed, curfew, and off-limit areas.

It works by having a black box installed in the vehicle. Anytime you speed or break other agreements it sends an annoying alert through the teen's cell phone.

Fischer began working on the device at 16 year of age after a local teen driver was killed behind the wheel due to speeding. He's won awards and even a hefty prize of $20,000 for his business plan.

The device is a pricey $250 to start and then $15 per month after. But a distinctive feature is in the GPS. Mapping lets the box know what the speed limit is on any given road, so if for example, you're going 10 miles over anywhere it will send the alert.

To learn more: www.livefastdriveslow.com.

The Psychology of Teen Driving

2009-04-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Driving excitement.
If you tell your teenage children they can't have teenage passengers, music, night driving, etc., you'll likely hear something like this: "What's the point of even having a license if I can't drive with my friends and listen to music? What's the point if I can't have fun?"

We've all been brainwashed by a lifetime of ads and movies to think that driving should be exhilarating, exciting, and fun-- an emotional experience. Well, it shouldn't be. If it is, you're doing it wrong. (When was the last time you felt exhilarated during your morning commute?) Emotion is what sells cars. But we're really not supposed to drive emotionally. this point gets lost on people, especially teenagers.

Driving should be no more emotional than a bus ride. Getting from point A to B is the objective. Driving is a means of transportation, not entertainment. Discuss this with your children, and at least get them thinking about it. Their emotional level while driving is a good measurement of their driving maturity.

Your kids can monitor this themselves. If they feel they're getting "pumped up" by being behind the wheel, that should be a warning flag to you and to them. Can you eliminate or reduce whatever is creating the emotion-- the music, the friend in the front seat, the type of car?

Overconfidence after 6-12 months of driving.
Among PEMCO policyholders, 16-year-olds have a higher accident rate than adults, but not that much higher. However, at age 17, 18, and 19, we see the rate jump to three times the adult rate. One reason is that teenagers get overconfident. They've driven from home to school to home repeatedly, and they begin to think they've mastered driving.

They haven't. They've only mastered their "regular" trips, where they know every curve, intersection and lane change. That doesn't mean they're good at judging new situations for the first time, especially if it's under difficult conditions (other teens in the car, dark outside, bad weather, etc.). They're still "intermediate" drivers playing in an "advanced" tournament, and they have a long way to go before they can perform at that level.

Overconfidence when driving a different car.
Any car that isn't your child's regular car is potentially a hazard. Your friend's car. Another car in the family. A Sport Utility Vehicle or another vehicle that is bigger, heavier, and takes longer to turn or stop. Sensitize your teenagers to this. They will need to focus harder. The car will handle differently. The dashboard will be different. The light switch and wiper controls might be unfamiliar. There will be a number of distractions they aren't used to.

Study: Metropolitan Cities With Highest Teen Crash Rates

2009-03-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

A study by Allstate Insurance Company in May 08 found the following cities to have the highest crash rates for teens:

Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla.
Orlando/Kissimmee, Fla.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Nashville, Tenn.
Birmingham, Ala.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Kansas City, Mo. (and Kan.)
Atlanta, Ga.
Charlotte, N.C.
Louisville, Ky.

The study also found the cities with the lowest teen driver fatality rates were:

San Francisco/Oakland, Calif.
San Jose, Calif.
New York City (including Long Island and northern New Jersey)
Los Angeles, Calif.
Cleveland, Ohio
Milwaukee, Wisc.
Boston, Mass.
Portland, Ore.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Chicago, Ill.

George Ruebenson, president of Allstate Protection adds:

"The study shouldn't just concern parents and leaders in the nation’s deadliest hotspots – car crashes claim the lives of more American teens than anything else coast-to-coast. Although some cities post better scores than others, the whole country must take responsibility for addressing this crisis. We feel that state and federal leaders should enact uniform national standards for graduated drivers licensing laws. Further, we must have better conversations with teens about safe driving and set good examples through our own good driving behavior."

Their findings kicked off a campaign to unify Graduated Licensing Laws which currently differ state to state. You can read the full article by clicking here.

Teen / Parent Driving Contract

2009-03-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Teenagers these days think they know everything. And yeah, they might know be up on the latest Twitter posts but they don't know everything when it comes to driving.

You want to give them a little freedom, maybe fall, but ultimately get back up and learn from the mistake. YES, they promise to be safe... that they won't speed, that they'll check their blind spot-- but you don't really know once you're not watching from the passengers seat.

But maybe you're right... they need a little freedom. But you should still have a Teen / Parent Driver Contract! Here's a sample of what's covered...

I understand that as far as the law is concerned, my acts are the acts of my parents.
I will drive carefully, cautiously, in control and obey the law.
I will not allow my car to be driven by anyone who has been drinking any form of intoxicating liquor or has taken any type of illegal drug or any drug that could cause danger to passengers in the car or public.

This form is great... your teen now has a contract with you and all is fair! They can't renege on the contract and you can fall back on what you've already agreed upon... it's signed and dated!

For the full version, e-mail us at info@sav-on.com and request one! You have to realize now, there are legal implications of a teen driver!

Are you Negatively Impacting Your Teen’s Driving Behavior?

2009-03-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

We read a lot about the reasons why teenage drivers are more likely to have accidents than older, more experienced drivers. Speed, over correction, and distractions in the car are cited as being some of the most frequent contributors to teenage driving accidents.

But, let’s take a moment to examine your teen's state of mind when they get into the car, or while they are in it with you. To promote your teen’s safety behind the wheel, do your best to provide them with an emotionally supportive and safe environment at home. Angry or emotionally upset teenage drivers are more inclined to rebel through some form of wild behavior, such as speeding or reckless driving. Monitor your teen carefully before allowing them to drive if you know they are upset.

Additionally, if you’re one of those committed parents who is providing driver training to your teenage child, you need to make sure you exhibit patience and control your reactions to their mistakes. Parents over reacting emotionally can be as dangerous as teenagers over correcting the car. Consider the following questions:

Does my teenage child know that it’s ok to make mistakes? Or does he think I’ll lose it if he does?
If he models my driving behavior, will he be safe? Or am I guilty of many of the actions I’m coaching him to avoid?
Is my teen too stressed to drive safely? Am I contributing to that stress?
Have I made my teenage driving expectations clear?
Does my teenager understand the consequences of breaking the teenage driving rules we’ve established?
Do I spend too much energy worrying about what could happen?
The more you worry about anything, the worse that situation becomes, because worry wears you down and makes you less effective. Even when it comes to parenting, our kids don’t need us to worry about them; they need us to believe in them. Believing in your child’s inherently positive potential supports his belief in himself, which is something he needs to accept responsibilities and overcome challenges.

For more information on how to keep your teen driver safe and for copies of teen/parent contracts visit our Safe Teen Driver Site www.teendriverinsurance.com/sav-on which is dedicated soley to helping parents help their teen drivers become safer drivers.

Speak Up Or Else!

2009-02-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Speak Up Or Else ad campaign will be starting soon with comedic 30 second commericals airing on safe teen driving.

Their website, www.speakuporelse.com features these 4 commercials, real stories, quick facts, e-cards, and you can even "Sign The Pledge" by filling in your first name and last initial to receive one of these to post on your myspace, facebook, or blog...

The website also features a toolkit for parents and adults to get involved!

Sav-on would like to remind you that we also have a great teen safety program featuring Phil's tragic story. If you would like to have us come out, please contact us at info@sav-on.com or call 206-878-1404.

Why Are Teen Rates So High?

2009-02-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Young people ages 15-24 represent only 14% of the U.S. population. However, they account for 30% ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28% ($7 billion) among females.

Also, the crash rate for 16-year-olds is 3.7 times higher than drivers of all ages. And the crash rate for 16 to 19-year-olds is 2.7 times higher than drivers of all ages.

Even more shocking...Did you know car accidents are the leading cause of death for ages 15-19?

These factors have a huge impact on why rates would be so high for a young driver. You can find out more by e-mailing info@sav-on.com or start up a discussion here!

We'll be going over these statistics and more today as we head up to A-Team Driving School to do our presentation on insurance to to share Phil Devitte's tragic story of the car accident that changed his life...You can read it by clicking here.

Thank you to cdc.gov & dmv.ca.gov

Student Driver, Be Kind

2009-02-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

In Europe, new drivers will put a large noticeable "L" for Learner on their car so that other vehicles can be made aware.

Looking around lately, parents have decided to put "Student Driver, Be Kind" stickers and other sorts of magnets and whatnot. Some driver's education schools will even provide you with these bumper stickers!

But a website called RookieDriver.net has taken the edge off the phrase "student driver" and created fun Rookie Driver stickers, magnets, and removable flags ranging from $7.95 for a sticker to $19.40 for a package deal. You can check out their products by clicking here.

The idea makes sense, it's inexpensive and easy...and the student driver will likely be given some room by the experienced drivers. According to the RookieDriver website:

As adults, we've all experienced moments of irrational and impatient horn honking at “that scatterbrain in front of us” who on closer inspection turns out to be a neighborhood kid. Rookie Driver® products serve as a reminder for experienced drivers to extend courtesy, respect, and patience to Rookie Drivers everywhere.

Read More...

Teensurance™ powered by Safeco

2009-02-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Safeco agents are now able to offer a $70 discount off the $169 Teensurance package for a low price of $99 to start. And the professional installation is free.

Teensurance is a great tool and program to help parents keep teen drivers safe. The GPS is installed under the dash and away from view to monitor things like speeding and location in real time, and sends alerts on things like curfew and driving out of "safe zones".

You even have free roadside assistance, up to 4 incidents per year and unlimited remote door unlock if the vehicle has automatic locking doors.

There's so many more features with this great system. We're always open to questions or you can find out more by going to www.teensurance.com.

Texting-While-Driving Ban Update

2009-01-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Even though Washington was the first state to pass laws about texing-while-driving it's yet that the law has been really enforced.

Only 2 tickets have been issued in Seattle Municiple Court since the ban took effect January 2008 to September 2008. Statewide, there were 58 citations and 61 warnings during that time which is only a small percentage of the 983,000 traffic stops troopers made total.

According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), "Given that crash risk increases substantially with drivers' use of either hand-held or hands-free phones, bans on hand-held cellphones will not eliminate the problem entirely. The problem with laws prohibiting hands-free phones is that they are difficult to enforce."

There are only 4 other states that have followed suit with the texting-while-driving law: Washington, Alaska, Louisiana, Minnesota and New Jersey.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/379545_Texting18.html?source=rss

Q & A

2009-01-19T11:19:00.000-08:00

A few frequently asked questions for parents of teen drivers like you...and maybe a couple you hadn't thought about! If you have additional questions, we'd be happy to answer them! Please e-mail us at info@sav-on.com or call one of our 6 locations at 1-888-867-2866.

What should parents consider when insuring teen drivers?

Parents should consider 3 factors when insuring their teen driver. First, they need to do everything they can to prevent their teen from causing an accident. Lack of education and experience are the leading factors in teen driver accidents. Parents need to give their teen as much training and experience behind the wheel as possible to keep them safe and avoid costly tickets and accidents. Second, parents need to make sure they are protected in case their teen causes an accident. Teens are 5 times more likely to cause an accident that can result in a lawsuit than experienced drivers. Good insurance coverage is a must for parents with teen drivers.
Third, parents need an agent that understands how to protect families with teen drivers and how to help them get the right protection at the lowest cost. This agent can find ways to save money while offering coverage that can protect them from lawsuits.

Why are insurance rates high for teen drivers?

Teen drivers are five times more likely to cause accidents than experienced drivers. The cost of these claims are on average 3 times higher as well. Insurance companies know this and have to charge higher rates to cover the higher risk of costly and more frequent accidents.

How can parents reduce the cost of insuring their teen driver?

First, parents need to understand that the rates are highest during the first three years they are licensed and if their teen gets a ticket or causes accidents their rates can triple. If parents do everything they can to make sure their teen drives safely, they will save a small fortune in rate increases due to tickets and accidents. If they have an agent that specializes in protecting families with teen drivers, that agent most likely knows what companies offer the lowest rates and can help them save by increasing deductibles and finding every discount possible, i.e. like a discount for good grades.

What should parents do to make sure they are protected in case their teen causes an accident?

When a parent adds a teen driver to their insurance policy, the chances of them being involved in a lawsuit increases dramatically. Insurance companies will only pay what their liability limit is on their policy. If the accident is serious enough, the parent’s assets are at risk. They will have to pay the difference between the liability limit and the amount awarded by the lawsuit. This is the most critical time when they need an agent that specializes in protecting families with teen drivers. This agent can review their coverage and offer the right liability limits to protect their assets.

How can parents reduce the likelihood of their teen causing an accident?

Education and experience is most important for safe driving. Unfortunately, new drivers are lacking this. It is up to the parent to give them as much structured practice time behind the wheel as needed to learn the most important driving skills and reactions. A home study driving course such as the Safe Teen Driver Guide is an excellent way to give the teen the necessary education and experience. Parents should also consider a GPS Teen Driver Monitoring System to make sure that their teen continues to drive safely while the parent is not in the car.

Many parents consider placing the teen on a separate policy. Is this a good idea?

No, this is not a good idea. As long as the teen is dependent on the parents, (they live in the household or the parent owns the car, even if the child is away at school ), they can be held liable for their teen’s mistakes. When you place a teen on a separate policy, it is very difficult to get adequate coverage for the teen because they are considered “high risk” and most high risk insurance companies will only provide lower limits than what teen drivers need. Since the teen cannot get adequate coverage, the parents can still be sued for their teen’s accidents. It also costs more to insure teens on separate policies. They are charged higher rates since they are insured by companies that insure higher risk drivers. When the teen is on their parents’ policy, they get multi-car discounts and are usually insured by preferred companies with lower rates.

What tools do you offer to parents to help them make their teens safer drivers?

Our agency offers many tools to help parents keep their teen drivers safe. First we have the Safe Teen Driver Guide. This is a 16 step home study driving course that parents can use to give their teens the education and most importantly, the experience they need to drive safely. We also offer a GPS Teen Driver Monitoring System. This system can alert parents when their teen drives at high speeds, after curfew or beyond a specified driving range. It can also allow parents to “check in” on their teen to make sure they are safe. Another tool we offer is the Parent/Teen driver contract to help teens get a clear understanding of the rules set forth to have the privilege to drive. Our website offers other tools such as 101 teen driver safety tips, information on how to get protected at the lowest cost, and much more. Coming soon, we will be offering a “How’s My Driving” bumper sticker and incident reporting service.

How does the GPS Teen Driver Monitoring System work?

This amazing system can give parents peace of mind knowing that their teen is driving safely. It has a small GPS unit that is installed under the dash in the teen driver’s car. This unit is connected to a website that parents can access to set parameters and view the car’s location, speed, and even unlock the car doors if the teen locks his or her keys in the car. Once parameters are set for speed limits, driving distance, and curfew, parents can receive alerts when a teen break these parameters. It can also let parents know by text message, e-mail, or phone call when their teen arrives at a destination, such as arriving at school every day.

Protecting Your Teen's Vehicle in Economic Crunch - Part Two

2009-01-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

With economic pressure, crime is on the rise. This is part two on tips of how to keep your teen and vehicles safe.

Lock the car and pocket the keys. Don't walk away swinging them around like a tasty treat. And never leave your vehicle running unattended. This is just an open invitation to take your car. Most stolen cars were left unlocked or with the keys in the ignition!
If you really want to warm up your car first... get a "Remote Starter" or "Automatic Starter". You can press a button to get your car running and it will run for 10 minutes and then shut off. The vehicle will remain locked and will not remain running for more than 10 minutes until you unlock the steering wheel and put the key in the ignition giving you the best of both worlds: safety and convenience.

Don't leave valuables in plain view. Even if you cover it with a blanket in the back, do you really think they're that stupid? Another option is to put valuables in the trunk or don't leave it in the car at all!

Park in well lit, busy areas. For your protection too! FYI-- if your young student is leaving class late and it's dark-- many colleges will urge you and would be happy to provide a security escort if the student feels it's unsafe.

Don't leave your registration in your vehicle. Carry it with you!

ID your things There are engraving devices to engrave your rims, sound system, etc. in case of theft.

Protecting Your Teen's Vehicle in Economic Crunch - Part One

2009-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Burglary and theft are up in these times of economic crisis. People are feeling the pressure and some are turning to crime.

Here are some ways you can protect your vehicle and your teen's safety...

First, install a car alarm. In a pinch, you can get one for as little as about $150 through places like Best Buy and Car Toys. Keep your eye out for their promotional sales as many of these types of business have them often.

Put comprehensive coverage on the vehicle. In case there is a break in or if the vehicle is stolen, this will cover the vehicle-- less the deductible. Depending on how much you'd like to spend and the value of the vehicle you can go with a deductible from 100 to even 2000.

Purchase a tracking device. LoJack has a 90% success rate at getting the vehicle back and average recovery time is 24 hours. Some insurance companies will even offer a discount. The downfall is the cost is about $600-$700 but there is no monthly fee. We also offer Teensurance powered by Safeco Insurance which retails at $169 for the device and then $19.99 per month for the tracking, however we offer it at the discounted $99 for the device and $19.99 monthly for tracking. Note: Teensurance is not just for teens and does not have to be bought by teen parents. Many people use it to track their own personal vehicles as a lower cost option to the LoJack or other tracking device.

You are welcome to call or e-mail us if you'd like to find out more about Teensurance! 1-888-867-2866 or info@sav-on.com

WIN $500 College Bond

2009-01-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

By completing this survey you can win a $500 college bond.

The deadline for the drawing is March 31st. You can only register once and it is only open to parents of teenagers 15-19.

Go to www.teendriverinsurance.com/survey

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday today.

We wish you a very safe and wonderful holiday.

Proposed New Teen Safety Program Offered to Parents

2008-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Society of Family Insurance Specialist is working on a project that may make a difference in reducing the dangerous driving that causes most teen driver accidents and fatalities.

Immaturity is attributed to many of the mistakes teens make. Talking on cell phones, distractions in the car, peer pressure to push the limits, and just plain being careless most often leads to accidents.

The project we are proposing and have support to fund sounds like it can help, but we need to know what parents like you think of the program and whether you would consider it worthwhile to participate.

Here's how it will work...

You would get a bumper sticker (11 X 3.5) that is similar to the bumper sticker you often see on commercial vehicles (How's my driving?) and place it on your teen driver's car. There will be a toll-free number and a unique code printed on the sticker.

If your teen drives dangerously, and if someone calls the toll-free number to report, you will be notified of the incident. The person reporting the incident will have to describe the vehicle, time and place, and the code on the bumper sticker. This information will be handled by a third party and will only be disclosed to you by e-mail. The insurance company will never have access to this information.

Most likely, the reports will be minimal but the real benefit is that if your teen driver knows that there is a chance of being reported, the likelihood of making a mistake should be drastically reduced.

So, would you mind taking just a minute to answer 7 questions and let our organization know what you think?

Click Here to Take Our Survey

This survey is completely anonymous. So, please feel free to share your honest thoughts on this program.

Thanks for your time!

Buckle up!.... But why?

2008-12-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Buckle Up! But Why?

A seatbelt ticket will cost you $101 in the state of Washington. For such a high cost of a ticket, it would be safe to assume the issue has some importance!

Well, absolutely! The purpose of a seatbelt is to hold the passenger in place, holding them close to the vehicle to make them almost "one" to prevent being thrown forward in the event of a collision. The other option is not wearing a seatbelt. If the person is not wearing their seatbelt, the law of inertia proves that they will be thrown forward-- possible into the windshield or dashboard, (ouch.)

The flexible materials that make up seatbelts are meant to provide give-- more than the dashboard or windshield. And even though the seatbelt allows some give to conform to your body comfortably, the machinery involved tightens the belt to hold the passenger in place when the car decelerates quickly.

Did you also know, that having your seatbelt improperly installed is an even bigger ticket?? Vehicles require both shoulder and lap belts!

Please instill the importance of safety belts with your teens and read "Phil's Story" (our very fist blog post!)

How much will my policy increase?

2008-12-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

Something I'm sure many parents of budding drivers want to know is how much their policy is going to increase once they get their license.

I'll have to admit to you, it's not pretty. But with 50% of auto claims going out on young drivers alone, it's hard not to see why rates can be so high.

FYI, Females will cost less than males, because males tend to have more and bigger payouts when it comes to claims.

I've done a few "tests" if you will...statistics say that your policy can increase about 50%-100% by adding a young driver. On a policy costing about $2500 with 3 existing drivers, I added yet another driver. A 16 year old female, date of birth 1/1/92, licensed 12/1/08. The rate went up to only $3067. Not even close to the estimated 50%-100%!

Have I confused you enough? I hope not...I've now changed the information to a male. the rate is the same.

Now what if they got into an accident the day after they received their license (we've heard this story!) -- the rate shoots up to $3500. Male or female.

Now, you have to keep in mind though...insurance rates are based on a lot more than just the driver and their driving record. It's also based on where you live, how far you drive the vehicle, what vehicle you drive, how many vehicles you own, and an "insurance bureau score" which is partially based on credit.

Many times the rates can be different depending on how much was paid out on the accident. A little fender bender to an old Chevy will cost you less than a fatality in a Mercedes Benz.

Teens Make Music Videos to Promote Safe Holiday Driving

2008-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

I got a kick out of these "music videos" teens made for safe driving through the holiday season. The top 5 winners (posted on the site) got an all expense paid trip to The Great Mall of America and a chance to win $10,000.

I especially enjoyed the one called "Watch The Road" by jeremyglick as his voice is sort of reminiscent of Neil Diamond.

You can check out the videos by going to holidayholla.keepthedrive.com/videos/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Are teens waiting to get their license?

2008-11-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

Things are a little different these days and it seems to us that teens and parents of teens are weary to jump on the "let's get you licensed" bandwagon right away anymore. This could be due to the cost to insure a teen, maybe even because of safety issues or responsibility, or possibly the state of the current economy?

The driving school we have a relationship with says that things have been a little slow for them too. Sure it was busy enough in the summer for us to go and do our safe teen driver presentation but now that winter has set in there's very few students enrolling.

I know 2 teen drivers personally who have finished their driver's education. One is just short of turning 17 and the other is 18. They both told me that they were among the oldest kids in their class and yet they have not even begun to take their driving test. They barely drive at all on their permit. I too was enrolled in driver's education early but waited about a year on my permit to receive my license.

So it bring me to question have things always been this way? Are parents just weary of their learning teen's safety or have economics come into play this time around?

Do you have teens who are learning how to drive? Are you holding off to get them licensed?

Tips for Good Teen Driving in Bad Weather

2008-11-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some tips to pass along to your teen driver as it's becoming more clear that summer is officially over...

In rain...

Make it a point to turn on your lights whenever you have your windshield wipers on.
Double or even triple the amount of following space you leave between you and the car in front of you when weather is wet.
Brake gently
Accelerate slowly
Crack a window to keep your windshield from fogging up
Remember, bridges and overpasses freeze before roads do
Don't apply cruise control

In ice and snow...

If you're stuck in ice or snow and aren't able to gain traction, try placing the floor mats under the tired
If you back up into ice or snow, make sure your tailpipe is clear or you could get carbon monoxide poisoning
Make sure you have window washing fluid-- you may need it in the even of sleet or snow
Keep your pace steady and slow, but not so slow you become stuck in deeper ice/snow

In fog...

Stay to the right of the roadway
Turn on lowbeams
If you cannot see the roadway, pull clear off the road away from traffic. Turn on hazard lights and wait until visibility improves

In high winds...

It's best not to drive a van or other high profile type vehicle or to tow a trailer
If you're following behind a vehicle with a tow or trailer take extra precaution and keep your distance

It's also a good idea to keep an emergency pack in your car with ice scraper, a bag of sand/salt/cat litter, flares or triangles, flashlight and extra batteries, first aid kit, jumper cables, nonperishable snacks, a candle and matches, a cup in case you have to melt snow for water, a shovel, gloves, a blanket, and even a pair of boots.

Thanks to www.teendriving.com

Driving School Presentation

2008-11-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

The very first blog post was about Phil's accident back in 1985. He takes what he's learned from that experience and shares it now with students at A-Team Driving School in Lynnwood.

We went yesterday and on Monday to do the presentation and we started asking for feedback from the students-- something we've never done before. I'm pretty happy with the responses. They really enjoy Phil's story and the DVD we show (which is available to anyone interested! E-mail your request to info@sav-on.com).

We did have some issues with getting the PowerPoint set up on Monday but Tuesday went really well and the kids asked a lot of questions! Usually we'll get one question (if we're lucky) and personally, I enjoy Q and A time.

Our next presentation is in December! Updates to follow!!

What To Do When Involved In An Accident

2008-11-11T14:50:00.001-08:00

In 2005 alone, there were more than 6.1 million police-reported traffic crashes in the United States. Combine those with the number of incidents that aren't reported to the police and it adds up to a lot of collisions.

Although you do your best to drive responsibly and defensively, it's still smart to know what to do just in case you end up in an accident. Crashes can be very scary, but here are some tips if one happens to you:

Take some deep breaths to get calm. After a crash, a person may feel a wide range of emotions — shock, guilt, fear, nervousness, or anger — all of which are normal. But take a few deep breaths or count to 10 to calm down. The calmer you are, the better prepared you will be to handle the situation. This is the time to take stock of the accident and try to make a judgment about whether it was a serious one.

Keep yourself and others safe. If you can't get out of your car — or it's not safe to try — keep your seat belt fastened, turn on your hazard lights, then call 911 if possible and wait for help to arrive. If you can drive your car and are in an unsafe spot or are blocking traffic, find a safe and legal place to park your car (like the shoulder of a highway or a parking lot). In some states it's illegal to move your car from the scene of an accident, though. Ask your driver's ed instructor what the law is in your state.

If the car accident seems to be minor, turn off your car and grab your emergency kit. If it's safe to get out and move around your car, set up orange cones, warning triangles, or emergency flares around the accident site.

Reporting the Accident

Check on everyone involved in the crash to see if they have any injuries. This includes making sure you don't have any serious injuries. Be extremely cautious — not all injuries can be seen. If you or anyone involved in the accident isn't feeling 100%, you should call 911 or any other number your state uses to request emergency assistance on roadways. Be ready to give the dispatcher the following information:

Who? The dispatcher will ask for your name and phone numbers in case the authorities need to get more information from you later.
What? Tell the dispatcher as much as you can about the emergency — for instance, whether there is a fire, traffic hazard, medical emergency, etc.
Where? Let the dispatcher know exactly where the emergency is taking place. Give the city, road name, road number, mile markings, direction of travel, traffic signs, and anything else you can think of to help them know how to find you. Make sure you stay on the line until the dispatcher says it's OK to hang up.

Sometimes, you can get the police to report to the scene of the accident even if there are no injuries, especially if you tell them you need someone to mediate — in other words, to help you figure out what happened and who's at fault. But in certain areas, as long as both vehicles can be safely driven away, police officers won't come to the scene unless someone is hurt. If the police do not come to the scene, make sure you file a vehicle accident report at a police station or DMV.

Take Down Driver Information
If you are feeling up to it, ask to see the driver's license of the other drivers involved in the crash so that you can take down their license numbers. Also get their name, address, phone number, insurance company, insurance policy number, and license plate number. If the driver doesn't own the car involved, be sure to get owner's info as well.

Take Notes on the Accident
If the car accident is minor and you feel that you can describe it, try to do so. Detailed notes and photos of the scene may help the court and insurance agencies decide who is responsible for the accident. Get a good description of the cars involved — year, make, model, and color. If your phone has a camera, use that or another camera to take photos of the accident scene — including the cars and any damage, the roads, any traffic signs, and the direction each car was coming from.

If you feel well enough, try to draw a diagram of the exact crash site and mark where each car was, what direction the car was coming from, and what lane it was in. Also, write down the date, time, and weather conditions. If there were any witnesses, try to get their names and contact info so that they can help clear up matters if one of the other drivers isn't completely honest about what really happened.

Remember, you can only do these things if you think the accident was a minor one (for instance, if the airbag did not inflate). Even if you think the accident was your fault, it may not be. That's why insurance companies say that you should not admit fault or accept blame at the scene.

Alex was excited to finally get his license. He was looking forward to going to the movies and to visit friends without needing someone to take him.

A couple weeks later, Alex was headed to his friend Matt's house. Two blocks from Matt's, Alex waited at a stop sign when he felt a sudden jolt. Someone had rear-ended his car. Alex started panicking — and his first thought was "What do I do now?"

Car Crashes
In 2005 alone, there were more than 6.1 million police-reported traffic crashes in the United States. Combine those with the number of incidents that aren't reported to the police and it adds up to a lot of collisions.

Although you do your best to drive responsibly and defensively, it's still smart to know what to do just in case you end up in an accident. Crashes can be very scary, but here are some tips if one happens to you:

Take some deep breaths to get calm. After a crash, a person may feel a wide range of emotions — shock, guilt, fear, nervousness, or anger — all of which are normal. But take a few deep breaths or count to 10 to calm down. The calmer you are, the better prepared you will be to handle the situation. This is the time to take stock of the accident and try to make a judgment about whether it was a serious one.

Keep yourself and others safe. If you can't get out of your car — or it's not safe to try — keep your seat belt fastened, turn on your hazard lights, then call 911 if possible and wait for help to arrive. If you can drive your car and are in an unsafe spot or are blocking traffic, find a safe and legal place to park your car (like the shoulder of a highway or a parking lot). In some states it's illegal to move your car from the scene of an accident, though. Ask your driver's ed instructor what the law is in your state.

If the car accident seems to be minor, turn off your car and grab your emergency kit. If it's safe to get out and move around your car, set up orange cones, warning triangles, or emergency flares around the accident site.

Reporting the Accident

Check on everyone involved in the crash to see if they have any injuries. This includes making sure you don't have any serious injuries. Be extremely cautious — not all injuries can be seen. If you or anyone involved in the accident isn't feeling 100%, you should call 911 or any other number your state uses to request emergency assistance on roadways. Be ready to give the dispatcher the following information:

Who? The dispatcher will ask for your name and phone numbers in case the authorities need to get more information from you later.
What? Tell the dispatcher as much as you can about the emergency — for instance, whether there is a fire, traffic hazard, medical emergency, etc.
Where? Let the dispatcher know exactly where the emergency is taking place. Give the city, road name, road number, mile markings, direction of travel, traffic signs, and anything else you can think of to help them know how to find you.

Make sure you stay on the line until the dispatcher says it's OK to hang up.

Sometimes, you can get the police to report to the scene of the accident even if there are no injuries, especially if you tell them you need someone to mediate — in other words, to help you figure out what happened and who's at fault. But in certain areas, as long as both vehicles can be safely driven away, police officers won't come to the scene unless someone is hurt. If the police do not come to the scene, make sure you file a vehicle accident report at a police station or DMV.

Take Down Driver Information
If you are feeling up to it, ask to see the driver's license of the other drivers involved in the crash so that you can take down their license numbers. Also get their name, address, phone number, insurance company, insurance policy number, and license plate number. If the driver doesn't own the car involved, be sure to get owner's info as well.

Take Notes on the Accident
If the car accident is minor and you feel that you can describe it, try to do so. Detailed notes and photos of the scene may help the court and insurance agencies decide who is responsible for the accident. Get a good description of the cars involved — year, make, model, and color. If your phone has a camera, use that or another camera to take photos of the accident scene — including the cars and any damage, the roads, any traffic signs, and the direction each car was coming from.

If you feel well enough, try to draw a diagram of the exact crash site and mark where each car was, what direction the car was coming from, and what lane it was in. Also, write down the date, time, and weather conditions. If there were any witnesses, try to get their names and contact info so that they can help clear up matters if one of the other drivers isn't completely honest about what really happened.

Remember, you can only do these things if you think the accident was a minor one (for instance, if the airbag did not inflate). Even if you think the accident was your fault, it may not be. That's why insurance companies say that you should not admit fault or accept blame at the scene.

The Aftermath
While the crash itself might be upsetting, dealing with the aftermath can be too. In the hours or days following an accident, some people may still be shaken up. They may be beating themselves up over what happened — especially if they feel the accident was avoidable. Sometimes, people close to those who were involved in the accident (like families and best friends) can experience some emotional problems too. These feelings are all normal. Once some time passes, the car is repaired, and the insurance companies are dealt with, most accidents become mere afterthoughts.

In some cases, though, these feelings can get stronger or last for longer periods of time, keeping a person from living a normal life. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur when a person has experienced a devastating event that injured or threatened to injure someone. Signs of PTSD may show up immediately following the accident, or weeks or even months after.

Not everyone who experiences stress after a trauma has PTSD. But here are some symptoms to look out for:

avoiding emotions or any reminders of the incident
constant feelings of anxiousness, crankiness, or anger
avoiding medical tests or procedures
constantly reliving the incident in one's mind
nightmares or trouble sleeping
If you notice any of these symptoms after you've been in a car accident, try talking through the experience with friends or relatives you trust. Discuss what happened, and what you thought, felt, and did during the accident and in the days after. Try to get back into your everyday activities, even if they make you uneasy. If these things don't help, ask your parent or guardian to help you check in with your doctor.

Thank you to KidsHealth.org

New Technology to Disable Teen Cell Use While Driving

2008-11-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Aegis Mobility Inc. has developed a new software called DriveAssist which would be used to essentially disable teen cell phone use while driving.

The device would block inbound calls and text messages while in motion and would deliver them once motion has ceased with the exception of 911 emergency calls.

Aegis was created with assistance from Dave Teater whose 12 year old son was killed when a 20 year old nanny driving a Hummer rear ended them while talking on her cell phone. Now, his loss may save many others from losing their lives or suffering injury.

DriveAssists is supported by Windows Mobile and Symbian-based phones. There are plans to expand to other wireless networks early next year.

You can find out more by vising Aegis Mobility online at: www.aegismobility.com

Good Student Discount

2008-10-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

If your young driver qualifies for the Good Student Discount, your premiums can be significantly lowered. Typically, the qualified student is required to have a 3.5 GPA or B average and the transcripts are then sent to the respective company.

Other ways you may be able to lower your premium? An alarm system, accident prevention course (or defensive driving course), pay-in-full, if you're young driver is a distant student, or get a quote 6-30 days before you purchase your policy (hint: 30 days will give you the best discount opportunity versus 6 days will give you the lowest discount opportunity).

Some companies even give a discount for a tracking device, such as a LoJack or a Teensurance GPS tracking device (which is and FREE device and FREE professional installation!) Call us for more details on Teensurance or you're welcome to check out www.teensurance.com

Please check with your Sav-on Special Agent to be sure you're receiving all the discounts that you qualify for!

A special note from your Sav-on Insurance Teen Driver Specialist: Please be weary of your teen on Halloween night. The crash rate for teenagers doubles between the hours of 9:00pm and 6:00am.

National Teen Driver Safety Week is about Awareness

2008-10-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

It's National Teen Driver Safety Week, and I feel that it couldn't come at a more appropriate time of the year. The weather is changing and many teens are just getting their license after their summer enrolled driver's education courses have ended...it's a scary and exciting time of year for young drivers and parents alike.

This week is to concentrate on teen driver safety. While we at SAV-ON always try, year round, to drive home the point that sometimes the worst can happen, many parents feel that they trust their teen driver. After all, it is their child. But many of you also know that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens. In 2005, 12 teens aged 16-19 died every day due to motor vehicle crashes.

The 16 to 19 year-old age group is 4 times more likely to crash than older drivers and statistics do show that they have the highest crash rate. Those especially at risk are

male drivers; one and half times greater than females in 2005
teens driving with teen passengers; the risk increases with each added teen passenger, especially males
newly licensed teens; crash rates are are extremely high within the first year, especially within the first 6 months of new licensure.

Teen drivers are more likely to underestimate the danger of a situation or recognize hazardous situations (ex. snow, rainfall, etc...). They are more likely to speed and tailgate; male passengers increase the chances of the driver partaking in these dangerous activities. Teens are also the least likely group to wear a seat belt.

Although drinking and driving rates have dropped among young drivers, it still remains a problem that cannot be overlooked. Young drivers with any level of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) run a higher risk of crashing than older drivers. In 2005, 23% of drivers aged 15-20 who died in a motor vehicle crash had a BAC of .08 or higher.

Male drivers between the ages of 15-20 are particularly at risk. In 2005 38% were speeding at the time of crash and 24% had been drinking.

This week is not only to instill safety, but also to spread awareness of the dangers of inexperience, distraction, passengers, cell phone use, even drug and alcohol use. Use this time to talk to your teen...and take advantage of the many resources we have to offer at www.teendriverinsurance.com/sav-on.

Thank you to CDC.gov and IIHS.org, and Happy National Teen Driver Safety Week!

National Teen Driver Safety Week Oct 19-25

2008-10-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Congressmen Charlie Dent (R-PA) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) passed a resolution establishing every third week in October to be National Teen Driver Safety Week this last year.

Many states have their own planned activities, many year-long, which focus on teen belt use, graduated licensing, and underage drinking. Washington is not on the list, although Sav-on Insurance personally does our part by speaking to young drivers at the A-Team Driving School. To see the complete list click here.

The theme for this years Safety Week is passengers with findings showing that the chances of a fatal crash increase exponentially with each teen passenger. Few teens view their friends as inexperienced drivers and teen passengers tend to act wild or encourage the driver to speed or make other unsafe driving decisions.

Please visit our safe teen driver page at www.teendriverinsurance.com/sav-on for more tips on making your teen a safe driver.

Daughter's fatal crash leads to education effort

2008-10-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

In Spanaway Washington, a young man has been charged with supplying alcohol to teen girl who consequently died in a car crash.

He's been sentenced to a year of probation and community service.

See the full article here: Daughter's fatal crash leads to education effort

What will your teen's first car be?

2008-10-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

So your teen got their license. Now what? You've been waiting patiently for months, dropping them off at driver's education, letting them take the wheel on the way to school....now the pain is off you. You're free! And so are they. But now what car are they going to be driving?

You have options....if you already have an extra car maybe you'll allow them to drive that. But if you don't, it goes back to the old vs. new.

Here are some pros and cons:
With a new car, you've got reliability, looks, comfort. But you've also got large payments, higher taxes and registration fees, and insurance costs.

With an older vehicle, the reliability may not be there, it may not have looks, and it may not have those comfortable, heated leather seats...but you may save on insurance costs, registration fees and you'll surely save on car payments.

However, if you do decide to go with a new vehicle, MSN Money has compiled a list of safe and "less-than-safe" vehicles that I would suggest:

Upscale and large sedans: Safe: Lexus ES300, Audi A4, BMW 330i; Safe?: Buick LeSabre Limited, Chrysler 300M
Family sedans: Safe: Volkswagen Passat GLX (V6), Toyota Camry XLE, Pontiac Grand Prix GT, Oldsmobile Alero, and Pontiac Grand Am; Safe?: Volkswagen Passat 4 cylinder, Nissan Altima 3.5 SE, Subaru Legacy
Small cars: Safe: Volkswagen Golf TDI, Honda Civic EX, Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI; Safe?: Hyundai Elantra GLS, Chevrolet Cavalier LS
Pickup Trucks: Safe: Toyota Tundra SR5 4.7, Dodge Ram SLT 4.7, Ford F.150 XLT 5.4, Toyota Tacoma TRD (V6), Nissan Frontier (V6); Safe?: Dodge Dakota SLT, Chevrolet S-10 L5 (V6), GMC Sonoma 5LS (V6); Extra note: Pickups usually don't do well in vehicle assessments usually due to poor brakes and sloppy handling
SUVs: Safe: Saturn VUE (V6), Honda CR-V EX, Hyundai Santa Fe GLS (V6), Lexus RX300, Acura MDX, Toyota Highlander; Safe?: Chevy Trail Blazer, GMC Envoy, Jeep Grand Cherokee)
Minivans: Safe: Honda Odyssey EX, Toyota Sienna LE, Mazda MPV LX; Safe?: Chevrolet Venture LS, Oldsmobile Silhouette GLS, Pontiac Montana

For more information, check out the full report at http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Insurance/P63955.asp

CA Commissioner Proposes Pay-As-You-Drive

2008-10-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

The Insurance Commissioner of California, Steve Poizner, has proposed an option for California consumers: pay-as-you-drive. If implemented, this would give motorists the chance to pay how far they've driven-- and theoretically, the more miles driven the more risk.

The mileage is based mostly on estimation, however the mileage would now be verified by odometer readings, automotive repair records, or a technological device.

The regulations would prohibit insurance companies from requiring policyholders to participate in this program, however companies may give discounts for participating.

The proposition is also supposed to have a green effect. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, they estimate that if 30% of California residents participate, California will be spared 55 million tons of CO2 between 2009-2020-- the equivalent of taking 10 million cars of the road. And furthermore, this would save $40 billion dollars in car-related expenses for vehicle owners.

In addition to the vehicle savings, the pay-as-you-drive program may be perfect for a large demographic of part-time drivers: teens. Since some companies do not offer part-time operator discounts, this would ensure that the young drivers are literally paying only what they are driving which would theoretically save them (and parents) huge premium every year.

Thank you to Insurance Journal.

Distractions bigger threat than alcohol for teen drivers

2008-09-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Distractions: a huge factor in teen car accidents. Death: still the leading cause of death of ages 15-19.

Most teen accidents are one car accidents at night and are mostly due to inattention. You may even be surprised to know that alcohol is usually not involved. Passengers also play a large role in driver distraction. In fact, a male passenger almost doubles the death rate in both male and female drivers. A female passenger with a female driver? Somewhat higher, but no change in risk taking. Passengers are clearly a distraction.
Graduated licensing programs have been implemented in almost every U.S. state and have proven to be quite effective. The intermediate driver's license, which restricts night driving and the transport of passengers, has indicated a 60% drop in fatalities and disabling injuries in 16 and 17 year olds.

While the new licensing program may seem pesky-- it's important to follow. And it's also recommended that newly licensed drivers steer clear of other distractions such as cell phone use and loud music.

The Split Second That Changed My Life

2008-09-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

SAV-ON Insurance co-owner Phil Devitte suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a 1985 car accident that left him with a disability for the rest of his life; all because he wasn't wearing a seat belt. He is now a crusader for safe driving habits, from the use of seat belts and reckless driving to the use of cell phones and text messaging while driving. This is his story.

January 2, 1985 started out like most weekdays in Phil Devitte's life, with a commute down I-5 to his job in Des Moines. That morning it was very cold, but clear, and as Phil was nearing the South 188th Street exit he started moving over toward the exit lane. Suddenly he hit a patch of "black ice", and in a split second his car was spinning out of control. Phil, who was not wearing his seat belt, held tightly onto the steering wheel, hoping to regain control of the car. Instead, the car hit something that caused it to flip violently end-over-end through the air. Phil was ejected through his closed sunroof, and remembers tumbling through the air.

He recalls regaining consciousness while lying on the ground, and someone asking if he was OK. "Yeah, I'm OK," was his reply. But, when he tried to get up, he couldn't move his legs. In fact, he had no feeling whatsoever from the waist down! While someone called an ambulance, he laid there in disbelief. This couldn't be happening to HIM. This was something that happened to OTHER people. When he arrived at Valley General Hospital, they whisked him into the emergency room, took x-rays and ran a battery of tests. The results were shocking: Phil had broken his back and damaged his spinal cord, and the doctors told him he would never walk again.

One simple lane change and he faced the prospect of life in a wheelchair! Phil struggled to grasp the gravity of the situation as he lay in Valley General with a devastating injury. After a few days, he was wheeled into surgery and had rods and wires inserted in his damaged spine. A week later, as he was convalescing, Phil suffered a massive Pulmonary Embolism; a blood clot in his lung that caused him to lose consciousness. His heart stopped. Luckily, he was in the hospital, and the staff feverishly worked on him, trying to save his life. Fortunately, they succeeded. Phil remembers coming to with people in a frenzy all around him, and someone saying "Should we shock him again?" Seeing Phil coming out of it, the doctor stopped the procedure. Phil was alive again!

Phil spent more than three weeks in that hospital, and was determined to walk again, even though he was still paralyzed. To his dismay, his attending physician told him to stop hoping, that he was never going to walk again. He told Phil that he would be there to pick him up when he failed, and would help him back in his wheelchair. Late one night, alone in the hospital room with his thoughts, he wondered how he was going to achieve his goal of walking again when the doctors were telling him it couldn't happen. He wanted to die. Suddenly he heard a voice say to him, "Do you believe?" Phil answered "Yes, I do!" Phil felt a strength and determination he had never experienced before. Phil became more determined than ever.

The first step was firing his doctor, the one who had dashed his hopes. The second was transferring to the University of Washington Hospitals, one of the foremost spinal injury facilities in the country. Once at the UW, Phil was given a battery of tests to determine the extent of his injuries and the therapy he would require. One morning, the doctor came in and, as he always did, asked Phil to move his big toe. After a few seconds he said, "Now, move it again." Phil said incredulously, "What did you say?" He had moved his big toe! There was hope.

From that day, it would take 2 ½ years for Phil to learn to walk again without the aid of crutches. It was a slow, agonizing journey that was literally one step at a time. At one point, with the aid of arm crutches, Phil had struggled down the hall of the hospital, almost dragging his uncooperative feet with him. He turned around and looked back at where he'd been. "The pools of sweat were pools of success to me," recalls Phil. "I was focused on overcoming this with an intensity that became an obsession." Every day he would spend 8-10 hours working on his rehabilitation. There was no let-up.

After more than a year of this, he was able to walk without support, get his driver's license back and went back to work. He continued to feverishly work on his therapy, exercise constantly and attempt to get stronger. Then, in 1990, five years after his accident, he decided to ease up. He was walking again, although not without some stiffness (he told his kids he walked like the tin man from The Wizard of Oz), but realized that he had accomplished his goal of walking again, and now he wanted to work with organizations to counsel young people on the dangers of driving.

He was now a firm believer in seat belts, since the chances are he would be OK today if he had worn one that fateful morning. But, in addition to that, he wanted to educate them that it only takes one mistake while driving to forever change (or end) your life. He began working with an organization called "Think First", an outreach program that deals with the dangers of driving while on drugs or alcohol, driving without using seat belts, speeding and reckless driving, and other dangerous activities.In 1998, Phil moved to the Palm Springs area to open a "Think First" chapter there, and volunteered at a trauma center where he counseled victims of brain and spinal cord injuries. He was able to bring his message of hope to thousands of young drivers during that time.

In 2000, he came back to the Seattle area and returned to SAV-ON Insurance, determined to make a difference here, knowing that 39% of all accidents happen to drivers who have been driving 10 months or less! He has spoken to students at driving schools, and now SAV-ON Insurance is affiliated with the "A-Team Driving School". He regularly speaks at driver's education seminars, extolling the virtues of seat belts and safety first. His dream is to keep all the students he talks to from having an accident that will forever change their lives, as his accident did to him.

Phil and SAV-ON Insurance want to help not only teen drivers, but also their parents, understand and avoid the perils that can happen when a young person gets behind the wheel of a vehicle. One of the latest offers is a free GPS unit for your teen's car. If you are a teen driver, or the parent of one, please contact SAV-ON at 206-878-1404 and speak to Nichole, or go to www.sav-on.com for more information on this offer.

Phil has beaten the odds and is walking again. Now he wants to keep other young drivers from ever facing the living nightmare that he had to face years ago.

SAV-ON Teen Driver Blog

2008-09-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the SAV-ON Teen Driver blog!