OUR TRAINING PROGRAM
TEEN ART PROGRAM INTRO
TEEN AWARENESS
TEEN RESPONSIBILITY
PARENT ART PROGRAM INTRO
FOR SCHOOLS, YOUTH GROUPS & CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS
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What will you have to do to stay safe and prevent a lot of heartache? What are you willing to do to make sure your entire class graduates together and that someone is not missing on that special day because of a car crash? Graduation day should be such a celebration. When it came time for Ashley’s class to graduate in 2005 everyone wore ribbons in her honor…everyone wished she was there…there was a sadness that covered that day for friends and teaches who wished she could rejoice in a “job well done”.
Instead, there was a page dedicated to her in the yearbook and she was voted “most likely to be remembered”.
What can you do to stay safe behind the wheel? The ART of Driving believes strongly that there are several important things you and your friends can do.
- Seek out more driving time behind-the-wheel. Studies show that you need a minimum of 100 hours of actual driving time before getting licensed. Ask your parents to be involved in this process with you.
- After you have some driving experience sign up for a defensive driving class. Check out the program carefully. Make sure you will get adequate hands-on experience with a certified instructor. Make sure the program covers skid control, off-road recovery, and crash avoidance; to mention just a few of the skills you need. These skills are to assist you in maintaining control of the vehicle should something unexpected happen (a dog runs out in front of you), or you are driving on ice and start to lose control; not so you can drive like a NASCAR racer. It has been the experience of this organization that teens that have completed such a course have a greater respect for the complexities of driving and a greater appreciation of the risks and their limitations.
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- Follow the Graduated Driver Licensing laws for your state. Discuss them with your parents.
- Get experience driving in all types of weather and different road conditions with an experienced adult driver.
- Make sure you understand vehicle dynamics. Do you understand the concept of velocity? Do you know what would happen to an unrestrained passenger traveling at 60 or 70 miles an hour? What about an object in the car that is not secured?
- Realize that teens have difficulty recognizing dangers. There are resources to help you sharpen your skills. Various computer-based learning programs are designed for just that reason. While driving with your parent discuss what is going on around you, look beyond your immediate area for potential problems. Is there a parked van at an intersection with a cross-walk that is blocking your view…could a pedestrian appear from in front of that van? Keep a commentary going of what you see and what your response should be.
- Remember, driving is a psychomotor skill. You have to repeatedly do it in order to be proficient. You were not a great piano player after only a few lessons. Operating a complex motor vehicle is a new experience for you…it takes practice and experience to do it well.
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