Teen driving to be discussed Thursday at town hall meeting State, National, International, posted by Editor, Pleasanton Weekly Online, on Jun 18, 2007 at 6:48 am
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's statistics have motivated Pleasanton police to hold a town hall meeting Thursday night at Amador Valley High School to emphasize safe teen driving. Data shows 5,000 to 6,000 teens, age 15 to 19, die annually in U.S. traffic collisions.
One of the best ways to help keep new teen drivers safe is by giving them a way to be identified as new drivers by others on the road. It has been a long standing tradition in Europe to identify cars being driven by “Learners” with a very easy to identify “L” sticker. By alerting other drivers on the road of the new drivers, experienced drivers can give them more room, be more cautious and a little more understanding when minor courtesy mistakes are made.
Rookie Driver is bringing the awareness to the US, using a fun, teen accepted, car magnet that says Rookie Driver. Afterall, being “Rookie of the Year” is cool in sports, and to teens Rookie Driver is more acceptable than Student Driver or other terms.
The Rookie Driver web site also includes an entire page of teen driving safety links. Definitely worth a look if you have a rookie driver or one who is soon to be.
Posted by mach1maddie@comcast.net, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Nov 5, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Jill, that's excellent. It offers the opportunity for others to be more cautious and defensive in their own driving when noticing a newer driver nearby.
Hey, what about "If you see me driving dangerously please call
XXX-XXXX," maybe putting the parents home number there, or the local police. :)
We really do need to find a way to help along these new drivers. Not just teens, though. Consider new immigrants who are quite hesitant and unfamiliar with our driving rules and customs.