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Is it time to take the keys away from our teenage drivers?



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 1st 06, 05:37 PM posted to rec.autos.driving,alt.true-crime,talk.politics.misc
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Default Is it time to take the keys away from our teenage drivers?


Scott en Aztlán wrote:
> The funny part is, some of these "disturbing attitudes" are right on
> the money. Only the sanctimonious liberal media thinks there is
> anything wrong with "I drive fast to keep up with traffic." For the
> most part, however, these studies reaffirm what I've been saying all
> along: teenaged drivers, as a group, often don't have the good
> judgement to safely operate a 2-ton death machine.
>
> http://www.latimes.com/classified/au...ck=1&cset=true
>
> Several recent studies show some disturbing attitudes toward motoring
> safety.
> By Jeanne Wright, Special to The Times
> March 1, 2006
>
> Parents, if you want to know how teen drivers really think and behave
> behind the wheel, check out the results of this revealing survey of
> 1,000 young drivers. (Warning: Some of the thoughts and opinions
> expressed in the survey may cause severe parental anxiety and an urge
> to take away the car keys. Continue at your own risk.)
>
> "Speeding is fun," according to 17% of the 15-to-17-year-old
> participants in the Allstate Foundation's survey, part of a
> comprehensive report on teenage fatalities.
>
> Sixty-nine percent said they drive fast to keep up with traffic. A
> fourth admitted they were "aggressive drivers" who drive more than 20
> mph over the speed limit.
>
> Thirty-five percent said they speed because it's "safe as long as I
> watch out for cops and stay in control of the vehicle," as one teen
> said.
>
> Since one-third of all teen fatalities involve speeding, these are
> some pretty scary attitudes, admit researchers. Here's more to turn
> your hair gray:
>
> · A majority, 61%, said they take risks when driving because they
> "are good drivers."
>
> · More than one-fourth said they take risks because they aren't
> thinking of the consequences.
>
> · More than half of the teens said they routinely use cellphones
> while driving.
>
> · Sixty-seven percent also said they have felt unsafe in vehicles
> driven by friends.
>
> · Forty-five percent said they would speak out if scared or
> uncomfortable while another teen is driving. Nevertheless, 50% doubted
> the driver would listen to them.
>
> "It's very hard to speak up [because] it ticks the driver off," said
> one teen.
>
> Teen fatalities are nothing new. But the tens of thousands of deaths
> over the last decade have prompted auto safety groups, law enforcement
> and medical professionals to search for new ways to tackle the
> problem.
>
> "The numbers are staggering," says Linda Behzad, an author of the
> Allstate report. "No other kind of hazard or behavior comes close to
> claiming as many teen lives. We believe it has become a chronic public
> health issue."
>
> Despite tough driving laws designed to protect and educate young
> drivers, the problem could soon get worse; the number of new drivers
> is expected to increase 23% within the next five years, according to
> the nonprofit, independent foundation based in Northbrook, Ill. The
> group funds and develops programs to improve safety nationwide.
>
> The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has also taken a hard look at
> the issue. A recent analysis showed that a majority of those killed in
> teen driving crashes are people other than the teen drivers
> themselves.
>
> Nationwide, the group's January study showed that young, novice
> drivers compose slightly more than one-third of all fatalities in
> crashes in which they are involved.
>
> Another recent study, by the Automobile Club of Southern California,
> said crash data for the Southland show that drivers 15 to 17 years of
> age were at fault in 68% of the fatal crashes in which they were
> involved.
>
> "The tragedy of teen-driver crashes goes well beyond the teen driver
> and their passengers," says Kathy Downing, manager of a driving school
> program for Auto Club members.
>
> Teens too often put others at risk, she says. Crashes may involve
> family members, even younger siblings. "The teen and the entire family
> can suffer emotional trauma that will last a lifetime," says Downing.
> It's clear, she says, "young drivers' lack of experience on the road
> is a major traffic safety issue."
>
> By and large, teenagers recognize the risks involved with driving. In
> the Allstate Foundation survey, three-fourths of them believed that
> vehicle crashes were the No. 1 cause of death among their peers. But
> in actual driving situations, teens don't always behave as if they
> "fully appreciate those dangers," according to Behzad.
>
> In 2004, there were 7,898 fatalities involving drivers in the U.S.
> ages 15 to 20, according to Ray Tyson, spokesman for the National
> Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number of teen drivers
> killed that year was 3,620.
>
> Based on input from teen focus groups in Los Angeles and the online
> survey, Allstate researchers found that hearing real-life experiences
> from victims or their families seems to resonate more with young
> drivers than staged events at school in which students portray
> accident victims.
>
> The study chose to concentrate on teen attitudes and peer pressure,
> rather than technical driving skills. It also consulted with
> psychologists who specialize in adolescents.
>
> The study pointed to recent research into adolescent brain development
> that may explain why some of the established teen driving programs
> have not been more effective in cutting deaths and injuries.
>
> Dr. Jay Giedd, a neuroscientist in Potomac, Md., says areas involving
> multi-tasking, impulse control and the ability to assess risks are
> still developing until age 25 and may explain why some teens take
> risks. Such findings have led some safety advocates to consider
> whether teens are being allowed to drive too early.


I've been saying for years that the driving age should be 21. Of course
the real solution is prison time for highway criminals no matter what
their age.

Ads
  #2  
Old March 1st 06, 06:09 PM posted to rec.autos.driving,alt.true-crime,talk.politics.misc
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Is it time to take the keys away from our teenage drivers?


Laura Bush murdered her boy friend wrote:
> Scott en Aztlán wrote:
> > The funny part is, some of these "disturbing attitudes" are right on
> > the money. Only the sanctimonious liberal media thinks there is
> > anything wrong with "I drive fast to keep up with traffic." For the
> > most part, however, these studies reaffirm what I've been saying all
> > along: teenaged drivers, as a group, often don't have the good
> > judgement to safely operate a 2-ton death machine.
> >
> > http://www.latimes.com/classified/au...ck=1&cset=true
> >
> > Several recent studies show some disturbing attitudes toward motoring
> > safety.
> > By Jeanne Wright, Special to The Times
> > March 1, 2006
> >
> > Parents, if you want to know how teen drivers really think and behave
> > behind the wheel, check out the results of this revealing survey of
> > 1,000 young drivers. (Warning: Some of the thoughts and opinions
> > expressed in the survey may cause severe parental anxiety and an urge
> > to take away the car keys. Continue at your own risk.)
> >
> > "Speeding is fun," according to 17% of the 15-to-17-year-old
> > participants in the Allstate Foundation's survey, part of a
> > comprehensive report on teenage fatalities.
> >
> > Sixty-nine percent said they drive fast to keep up with traffic. A
> > fourth admitted they were "aggressive drivers" who drive more than 20
> > mph over the speed limit.
> >
> > Thirty-five percent said they speed because it's "safe as long as I
> > watch out for cops and stay in control of the vehicle," as one teen
> > said.
> >
> > Since one-third of all teen fatalities involve speeding, these are
> > some pretty scary attitudes, admit researchers. Here's more to turn
> > your hair gray:
> >
> > · A majority, 61%, said they take risks when driving because they
> > "are good drivers."
> >
> > · More than one-fourth said they take risks because they aren't
> > thinking of the consequences.
> >
> > · More than half of the teens said they routinely use cellphones
> > while driving.
> >
> > · Sixty-seven percent also said they have felt unsafe in vehicles
> > driven by friends.
> >
> > · Forty-five percent said they would speak out if scared or
> > uncomfortable while another teen is driving. Nevertheless, 50% doubted
> > the driver would listen to them.
> >
> > "It's very hard to speak up [because] it ticks the driver off," said
> > one teen.
> >
> > Teen fatalities are nothing new. But the tens of thousands of deaths
> > over the last decade have prompted auto safety groups, law enforcement
> > and medical professionals to search for new ways to tackle the
> > problem.
> >
> > "The numbers are staggering," says Linda Behzad, an author of the
> > Allstate report. "No other kind of hazard or behavior comes close to
> > claiming as many teen lives. We believe it has become a chronic public
> > health issue."
> >
> > Despite tough driving laws designed to protect and educate young
> > drivers, the problem could soon get worse; the number of new drivers
> > is expected to increase 23% within the next five years, according to
> > the nonprofit, independent foundation based in Northbrook, Ill. The
> > group funds and develops programs to improve safety nationwide.
> >
> > The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has also taken a hard look at
> > the issue. A recent analysis showed that a majority of those killed in
> > teen driving crashes are people other than the teen drivers
> > themselves.
> >
> > Nationwide, the group's January study showed that young, novice
> > drivers compose slightly more than one-third of all fatalities in
> > crashes in which they are involved.
> >
> > Another recent study, by the Automobile Club of Southern California,
> > said crash data for the Southland show that drivers 15 to 17 years of
> > age were at fault in 68% of the fatal crashes in which they were
> > involved.
> >
> > "The tragedy of teen-driver crashes goes well beyond the teen driver
> > and their passengers," says Kathy Downing, manager of a driving school
> > program for Auto Club members.
> >
> > Teens too often put others at risk, she says. Crashes may involve
> > family members, even younger siblings. "The teen and the entire family
> > can suffer emotional trauma that will last a lifetime," says Downing.
> > It's clear, she says, "young drivers' lack of experience on the road
> > is a major traffic safety issue."
> >
> > By and large, teenagers recognize the risks involved with driving. In
> > the Allstate Foundation survey, three-fourths of them believed that
> > vehicle crashes were the No. 1 cause of death among their peers. But
> > in actual driving situations, teens don't always behave as if they
> > "fully appreciate those dangers," according to Behzad.
> >
> > In 2004, there were 7,898 fatalities involving drivers in the U.S.
> > ages 15 to 20, according to Ray Tyson, spokesman for the National
> > Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number of teen drivers
> > killed that year was 3,620.
> >
> > Based on input from teen focus groups in Los Angeles and the online
> > survey, Allstate researchers found that hearing real-life experiences
> > from victims or their families seems to resonate more with young
> > drivers than staged events at school in which students portray
> > accident victims.
> >
> > The study chose to concentrate on teen attitudes and peer pressure,
> > rather than technical driving skills. It also consulted with
> > psychologists who specialize in adolescents.
> >
> > The study pointed to recent research into adolescent brain development
> > that may explain why some of the established teen driving programs
> > have not been more effective in cutting deaths and injuries.
> >
> > Dr. Jay Giedd, a neuroscientist in Potomac, Md., says areas involving
> > multi-tasking, impulse control and the ability to assess risks are
> > still developing until age 25 and may explain why some teens take
> > risks. Such findings have led some safety advocates to consider
> > whether teens are being allowed to drive too early.

>
> I've been saying for years that the driving age should be 21. Of course
> the real solution is prison time for highway criminals no matter what
> their age.


At least they're not old enough to drink and drive.

Mez

  #3  
Old March 2nd 06, 04:31 PM posted to rec.autos.driving
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Is it time to take the keys away from our teenage drivers?


Scott en Aztlán wrote:
> On 1 Mar 2006 09:09:41 -0800, "Messalina" >
> wrote:
>
>
> >At least they're not old enough to drink and drive.

>
> You needlessly quoted 137 lines of text in order to add that clever
> rejoinder?
>
> Jesus H. Tapdancin' Christ...
> --
> What the heck, I'll play too.
> - Dave


You counted?

Anyway, sorry man. I post from google, which telescopes the quoted
text. Sometimes I forget about the rest of you.

Mez

  #4  
Old March 2nd 06, 07:41 PM posted to rec.autos.driving
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Posts: n/a
Default Is it time to take the keys away from our teenage drivers?

Messalina wrote:
> Scott en Aztlán wrote:


> > You needlessly quoted 137 lines of text in order to add that clever
> > rejoinder?


> You counted?


I doubt it. Most real news-reader software will display the number of
lines a particular post has. Even if it doesn't, all it takes is
looking at the header and finding the field called "Lines."

> Anyway, sorry man. I post from google, which telescopes the quoted
> text. Sometimes I forget about the rest of you.


Sounds more like you're lazy rather than forgetful. People who aren't
lazy actually spend time editing the post before sending it.

  #5  
Old March 2nd 06, 11:08 PM posted to rec.autos.driving
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Posts: n/a
Default Is it time to take the keys away from our teenage drivers?

Arif Khokar wrote:
> Messalina wrote:
>
> > Anyway, sorry man. I post from google, which telescopes the quoted
> > text. Sometimes I forget about the rest of you.

>
> Sounds more like you're lazy rather than forgetful. People who aren't
> lazy actually spend time editing the post before sending it.


Well, I'm an old Usenet pro, but also using Google. What Messalina
here did was use the "Reply" link that *does* telescope everything.

In order to get a more 'traditional' reply format (that won't annoy
us), you need to hit "Options" which will bring up a selection bar
above the message. If you then choose "Reply", you will get a box
quoting the *entire* previous post - and which you can edit or
interleave your reply.
--
C.R. Krieger
(Been there; done that)

  #6  
Old March 3rd 06, 06:18 AM posted to rec.autos.driving
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Posts: n/a
Default Is it time to take the keys away from our teenage drivers?

> Scott en Aztlán:
> Or perhaps incompetent. There must be a way to reply without including
> any of the text from the previous post; somebody just can't figure out
> how.


Don't know about your newsreader, but with mine, I can just highlight
the text I want to include in my reply and then hit the reply button and
only that text shows in the reply message.

And before you ask, if I want no text to show, I just highlight a blank
line and then hit reply.

Of course, I don't know what reader you are using, so YMMV.

  #7  
Old March 3rd 06, 07:26 AM posted to rec.autos.driving
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Posts: n/a
Default Is it time to take the keys away from our teenage drivers?

Scott en Aztlán wrote:

> On 2 Mar 2006 10:41:43 -0800, "Arif Khokar"
> > wrote:


>>People who aren't lazy actually spend time editing the post before
>>sending it.


> Or perhaps incompetent. There must be a way to reply without including
> any of the text from the previous post; somebody just can't figure out
> how.


I know that Google has that javascript based reply link at the bottom of
every post in a thread. That doesn't quote any material from the
previous post.

Still, I believe that relevant material should be quoted. Insufficient
quoting, or not quoting at all is just as bad as not trimming, IMO.
  #8  
Old March 7th 06, 02:47 AM posted to rec.autos.driving
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Posts: n/a
Default Is it time to take the keys away from our teenage drivers?

On Fri, 3 Mar 2006 00:18:46 -0500, necromancer >
wrote:

>> Scott en Aztlán:
>> Or perhaps incompetent. There must be a way to reply without including
>> any of the text from the previous post; somebody just can't figure out
>> how.

>
>Don't know about your newsreader, but with mine, I can just highlight
>the text I want to include in my reply and then hit the reply button and
>only that text shows in the reply message.
>
>And before you ask, if I want no text to show, I just highlight a blank
>line and then hit reply.
>
>Of course, I don't know what reader you are using, so YMMV.


Scott uses Forte's Agent (which is damn nice), you use:
User-Agent: MicroPlanet-Gravity/2.60.2060

Headers rule dude.

Dave
---
http://www.davidphogan.com/sdroads
Amature Ass(phalt) and more!
 




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