New Laws Don’t Effect Emphasis on Teen Driving Safety

 Regardless of the rainy and windy conditions that graced Western New York last Thursday morning, several hundred teenagers gathered at the Niagara Falls Air Force Reserve Base to realize the importance of driving safely. 

    Among North Tonawanda’s Senior class of 2009, health class isn’t on the top ten popularity list.  Nevertheless, it is required for graduation. 

    “Teaching students the consequences of driving unsafely is one of the largest courses we will learn this semester,” explained health teacher John Klimas to his first-semester class.

    In the past month, New York State passed tougher driving restrictions for teenagers meant to increase safety.     Under the new restrictions for teenager drivers, the number of nonfamily passengers under age 21 in a car driven by a teenager are now restricted to one, electronic devices — hand-held or otherwise — are banned for teen drivers, practice time is now increased to 50 hours, with at least 15 hours at night, before a road test for a license can be taken, and road tests can not be scheduled for at least six months after a teenager obtains a driver’s permit. As these restrictions no doubt were created in lew of driving safety, it is well-known that driving safety can never be stressed enough as teenagers die each day because of careless mistakes on the road.    

Niagara County’s fourteenth annual Driving Safety fair at the Air Base in Niagara Falls brought high school teenagers from all over the area.   At the fair, teens saw a real car crash simulation, listened to guest speakers with real experiences, and realized what could happen if they drove without caution.  An example of the lessons taught to teenagers during this all day event, was given by a representative from Calspan, a research company on the air base that researches new ways to improve safety and quality in aviation and automobiles.

    “If there were four people in a car – two in front, two in back, and the two in back did not have their seatbelts on,  those two people in the back would more likely be the cause of death for the persons in the front seat. At twenty-five miles per hour, the force of the two bodies in the back seat lurching forward, would be the same as three tons smashing into the front seats, crushing the driver and/or the passenger.” explained Calspan team-coordinator John Thiesen, whose own sister was killed in a car accident due to lack of wearing her seatbelt.

    With the new driving restrictions in effect, there are still many issues like work zone intrusions and railroad safety violations that need to be examined to further safety of not only drivers but of those who could potentially be victim to dangerous driving. 
    Kevin Frank, a representative in accordance to CSX Transportation’s “Operation Lifesaver”,  explains:

“I don’t think there is enough emphasis on railroad safety and teenager driving.  Technically, driving safety on railroad tracks should be covered in all driver’s education programs, but unfortunately, they aren’t.”

    With high hopes of future annual fairs, the NYS Department of Transportation says that even if laws were to exist to counteract every possible safety violation, it wouldn’t be enough.