assignment 7/19

AAA: Teens need to pay attention when behind the wheel
By NICOLE ORNE, Reformer Staff

Thursday, October 18BRATTLEBORO -- AAA has named this week National Teen Driver Safety Week in an effort to make people more aware of a situation where more than 6,000 teens are killed in car accidents every year.
"The process of learning to drive is more complex than people realize," said Tom Williams, the Vermont manager for AAA Northern New England.
In a culture that demands multi-tasking, AAA says teens don't recognize the importance of devoting their attention to the job.
Howard North, a driver's education instructor at Brattleboro Union High School for more than 30 years, agrees.
"Many of them have trouble deciding which task is more important," North said.
AAA says the best solution is graduated license laws, which puts limits on who a new driver can have in the car.
In Vermont, new drivers can have siblings in the car with them after three months on the road and friends after six months.
Williams says the law is "an intermediate step."
Steve Reckers, the coordinator for the Vermont Governor's Highway Safety Program, said new drivers need to decide to be safe, regardless of the law.
"I think each person has to take responsibility for themselves. We have to decide what's best for ourselves," Reckers said.
North says it's not that his students don't see the responsibility that comes with being behind the wheel.
"I think they know what the responsibilities are," said North. "I think whether they take them seriously or not depends on the student. We're just showing them the way and hoping and praying that they do it."
Williams says the Vermont law should be expanded to include a ban on teens using any electronic devices when they drive, a stricter seat belt law and a nighttime restriction, which he says is the most dangerous time for young drivers.
The House has passed the legislation, he said, and he hopes the Senate will act on it soon. "We're making progress with what we have, but we could make more progress with other things," Reckers said.
So far, there are no statistics about accidents involving teens text messaging. All accidents found to be caused by some kind of electronics are lumped together, and police say these numbers are unreliable because many people don't want to admit they had an accident because they were talking on the phone.
North said the technology is such a part of teens' lives they wouldn't think about not doing it "because they do it virtually everywhere else. It's kind of just a habit."
While cell phones are the latest distraction, other distractions, such as other people in the car, are not new.
While Williams says the current law has shown results, they have seen that after the six months, when new drivers can have friends in the car with them, they again begin to see accidents.
"Vermont really needs to look at the statistics and see if maybe there should be more restrictions," Williams said.
http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_7210436


Elderly Driver Charged In Deadly Hospital Crash
Crash Scene Photos
(WBZ) BROCKTON Criminal charges have been filed in the Brockton Hospital Crash, according to Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz. Jane Berghold, 76, is charged with two counts of motor vehicle homicide and operating to endanger. Berghold crashed her car through the entrance to the hospital's Radiation Therapy Unit Monday afternoon.Dr. Mark Vasa, Chief of Radiation Therapy, was struck and died. Witnesses say he was trying to push people out of the way when he was hit. On Tuesday, hospital announced Susan Plante, 60, a secretary in the Radiation Therapy Department, passed away Monday night from injuries she suffered in the accident.Plante had worked at the hospital for 20 years - the last 19 in the Radiation Therapy Department.Vasa had also been with the hospital for the last 20 years.Berghold was coming in for a consult to start radiation. She was diagnosed with breast cancer back in April.She told WBZ she was going 20 miles an hour in the parking lot when she tried to take a left and park her car. That's when her Oldsmobile crashed through the Radiation Therapy Unit entrance and ended up in the main reception area. "The car didn't stop," she said, "and I went right through the doors." Watch Beth Germano's full interview with Berghold hereBerghold's husband told WBZ the brakes on the car were new. Her license has been suspended. She had a clean driving record and no restrictions on her license.
http://wbztv.com/local/local_story_291151542.html



Officials Set Up Teen Driving Sting
Operation Aims To Keep Kids Safe On Roads
POSTED: 12:18 pm EDT October 18, 2007
UPDATED: 5:13 pm EDT October 18, 2007

WEYMOUTH, Mass. -- State officials set up a sting operation Thursday to ensure that teen drivers are following the rules of the road.
NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that police set up unannounced checkpoints at 13 Massachusetts high schools.
Unfastened seat belts and driving nonfamily members to school were some of the problems officers found at a checkpoint in Weymouth. Inspectors from the Registry of Motor Vehicles helped with the effort.

Students at Weymouth High School are particularly sensitive after sophomore Catherine Crocker was killed nine days ago in a car crash. She was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the car.
There were nearly 7,000 teen driving deaths last year across the country. A new Junior Operators Law went into effect last month. It requires more instruction time and stiffer penalties for violators.
"It will cost in total close to $1,000 to get your license back for speeding -- even once," Registrar of Motor Vehicles Anne Collins said.
Of the 802 teen drivers stopped Thursday, 151 were not buckled up, 49 were driving friends or non-relatives and four were on cell phones.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/14369195/detail.html

How this relates to what we read in class:
The first article talks about the graduated licensing law when getting your operating license. It also talks about teens and cell phones while driving.





How to time your arrival to an intersection:

when approaching the intersection and the light is red when you are 500ft. away then get off the gas and cruise your way to the intersection, if you are lucky then you will reach the intersection when the light turns green. If not then you will get the yellow light at least...


Benefits of a 4 second following distance:

One benefit of keeping a 4 second following distance is that you have more time to react if the guy in front has to stop really quickly.Another benefit is that you can apply your breaks softer than if you had a closer following distance. Which would give you a better chance of not getting rear ended by a guy behind you.One other benefit is that you can see farther in front if you have a 4 second following distance rather than a 2 second following distance.