Back in 2005, Boston Senator Brian A. Joyce attempted to pass Senate Bill 1914, aka an Act to Promote Safe Driving. But in the end there was very little support. No audience attended the legislation in October for Joyce's bill, but there were many people at a hearing the same month for stricter teen driving standards.
Although teen driving is an issue, Joyce sees the issues with elderly driving too.
In 2001, AAA found in a study that drivers over 65 were 25 percent more likely to get in an accident than middle-aged drivers. Seniors were more prone to intersection crashes and can have troubles making left turns, driving in heavy traffic or at night.
Seniors have the second highest crash death rate per mile next to teenagers, according to AAA. The association’s Web site projects that by 2020, there will be more than 40 million licensed drivers over 65 in the United States, up from 18.9 million in 2000.
Showing posts with label driver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label driver. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
To Drive or Not To Drive!
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."
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."
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