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It’s a well known fact that, statistically, newly licensed teen drivers have higher accident and traffic violation rates. Find out why the teen driving environment is often so dangerous as the program “Teens Behind the Wheel” takes an unprecedented look at what actually happens when newly licensed teenagers drive. The one-hour documentary, presented by Travelers of New Jersey, premieres on New Jersey Public Television (NJN) at 9 p.m. on May 9.
For the production, 10 newly licensed teens agreed to have video cameras mounted to the windshields of their cars for six months. The cameras had one lens aimed at the road and another lens pointed at the driver. Any sudden change in the vehicle’s movement triggered the camera to record 20 seconds of footage, starting a few seconds before the incident actually occurred. The documentary was not intended to catch kids behaving badly, but to give viewers an accurate look at what happens in the early months of teenage driving. The revealing results may shock some parents. The cameras recorded numerous crashes and traffic violations as well as risky driving behavior.
“Travelers of New Jersey is concerned about the number of teen driving accidents here in New Jersey and across the country,” says Travelers of New Jersey General Counsel Lisa Pollak. “‘Teens Behind the Wheel’ is compelling. It’s a real life portrayal that puts the spotlight on the need to keep our young drivers safe while they learn how to drive.”
Travelers of New Jersey is distributing DVDs of “Teens Behind the Wheel” to every high school in New Jersey. “Our goal is to assist schools in the important mission of educating teens on the dangers of reckless driving. We’re hoping this program will be viewed during driver’s education classes, student assemblies and parent meetings,” says Pollak.
Pollak has been intimately involved in promoting teen driver safety. As one of the appointees to Governor Jon Corzine’s Teen Driving Study Commission, she helped develop the recommendations to the Governor that were released in March. The Commission was formed in 2007 to study teen driving, specifically, how to combat risks inherent to teen drivers such as inexperience, speed, distractions and low seat belt usage – all factors which contribute to car crashes being the number one killer of teenagers. The Commission presented several recommendations to Governor Corzine including parent/teen driver orientation programs, certified practice during the permit phase, sanctions for graduated driver license violations and traffic safety/drivers education classes in school curriculum.
For more information about the New Jersey Teen Driver Study Commission, visit www.njsaferoads.com. To view clips of “Teens Behind the Wheel,” visit www.travelers.com.
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