DriveCam Supports National Safety Month with Focus on Teen Driving

Jun 11, 2007, 12:00PM

What: DriveCam Inc., a global Driver Risk Management (DRM) company, joins the National Safety Council in recognizing June 2007 as National Safety Month by sharing lessons learned from video evidence of risky driving behaviors among the nation's youngest drivers.

When: The week of June 11-15 is focused on driving safety, and in particular, teen driving safety.

Why: According to the National Safety Council, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of accidental death and injury both on and off the job. Teens are especially vulnerable. Motor vehicle crashes are more likely to kill 15-19 year olds than the next four leading causes of death for teens combined. When parents are in the vehicle, teen drivers rarely crash. When driving without parental supervision, however, teens crash nine times more often than adults.

Who: Produced in conjunction with DriveCam, American Family Insurance offers the Teen Safe Driver ProgramSM to help young drivers make a safer transition to unsupervised driving. The program uses exception-based video capture of risky behavior so parents can continue teaching their teens how to drive safely. Parents and teens log in to a secure Web site to view the teen's driving report card and review video events and coaching tips, including objective, third-party assessment of the teen driver's driving performance compared with other teens.

Lessons learned from the Teen Safe Driver Program:

Focus: Young driver over-confidence often translates to a willingness to split their focus behind the wheel – driving and socializing; driving and text messaging, eating or even reading! Eyes frequently come off the road for more than 3 and 4 seconds at a time! Novice drivers must make safe driving their top priority.

Slow it down: Many young drivers in the program start out "aggressive attentive" – they have proper focus, but are constantly in a rush – to many, stop means slow and if there's a question about taking a risk or using discretion, they tend to "go for it." Crashes are avoided by awareness and anticipation. Being in a rush means less time and space to assess and react to developing hazards.

Seatbelts: Teens that spent a lifetime in car seats, boosters and seat belts "forget" how to use them when they begin to drive. Despite parental predictions of 95 percent usage, teens entering the Teen Safe Driver Program have a 50 percent compliance rate in the first two weeks. Remember, seatbelts for everyone all the time – no exceptions.

Contact: For more information about the Teen Safe Driving Program, visit www.teensafedriver.com.