In recognition of National Teen Driver Safety Week, The Trauma Research & Education Foundation's Safe Teen Council and the Automobile Club of Southern California hosted a TEEN DRIVER FAIR on Saturday October 16, 2010, at Torrey Pines High School.
The TEEN DRIVER FAIR was designed for teen drivers, soon to be drivers, and parents of teen drivers. Parents and teens enjoyed a fun-filled educational afternoon of free activities, including a rock climbing wall, free Subway box lunches, a DJ, raffles and giveaways. Interactive activities geared toward driving attentively such as "fatal vision goggles", and distraction contests engaged teens and parents in learning about the dangers of impaired and distracted driving.
Teens and parents attended targeted workshops, learned how to find their way under the hood, and how to make safety adjustments to "fit" each individual to the car. Parents received information about the most dangerous driving situations for teens and how to avoid them, how to talk to teens about driving and how to set and enforce rules to address leading hazards.
Highlights of educational sessions for teens and parents...
Teen Car Fit was conducted by the Auto Club to help teens find out how they could "fit" themselves to the car they drive. Hands-on demonstrations helped teens and parents understand the important safety features built into cars and actions drivers can take to improve vision, handling, and control.
Impact Teen Drivers' high-energy presentation centered on the dangers of reckless, impaired, and distracted driving. Participants heard the latest statistics regarding the dangers of talking on cell phones and texting while driving. Teen and parents were encouraged to make a difference by participating in local campaigns to improve driving.
The Law Enforcement Panel included representatives from The California Highway Patrol, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego Sheriff's Department and the Department of Mother Vehicles. Interactive topics included Graduated Driver License (GDL) Laws, DUI risks and penalties, cell phone laws, and the legal consequences of street racing and other dangerous driving activities.
The Power of Parents - Feeling Good About Turning Over the Keys included Raul Coimbra, MD, PhD, FACS, Professor of Surgery, Chief of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care and Burns, UC San Diego Health System whose engaging discussion included the preventable nature of trauma, and experiences with parents and teens in the trauma center. Marjorie Delgadillo, Program Specialist for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) also demonstrated The Power of Parents, MADD's new safe teen driving website for parents.
DriveCam, Inc. demonstrated a video feedback program that enables parents to stay connected with newly licensed teen drivers in a positive way. Independent research has shown that this type of driving supervision can reduce the risks of driving behavior by 65%.
1 ноя 2010
