Half a decade ago, the Delmarva Broadcasting Company and statewide organizations got together to help reduce a horrific epidemic throughout the area and nation. Teenage deaths were on the rise, due to inexperience and poor decisions made when it came to driving. After the parties got together, a program known as SmartDrive was devised to help educate and, in turn, protect youth who get behind the wheel of automobiles every day.
“The idea for SmartDrive was really fueled in 2003, when the problem was becoming more apparent,” said SmartDrive Secretary and Program Coordinator, Karen Busby. “In 2004, there were several car accidents in February near the sponsoring radio station, WSTW. These accidents were attributed to driver inexperience, and tragically, there were several kids that died. They were well-known teenagers, too.” The SmartDrive mission was established to develop smart, conscious drivers out of today’s teenage population, an apparent problem judging by recent statistics.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
• Roughly 36 percent of the deaths within the 16- to 19-year-old age group are a result of motor vehicle accidents.
• In 2005, 400,000 teens were treated in emergency rooms, nationwide, for injuries incurred in motor vehicle accidents.
• In 2005, teens accounted for 10 percent of the population and 12 percent of the motor vehicle crash deaths.
• Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes in 2005, 38 percent were speeding at the time of the crash and 24 percent had been drinking.
• In 2005, among teen drivers who were killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving, 74 percent were unrestrained.
• Persons aged 15 to 24, who represent only 14 percent of the U.S. population, account for 30 percent ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28 percent ($7 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females.
Statistics gathered by TeenDrivingInfo.com offers equally startling numbers:
• Annually, 7,887 teens ages 15 to 20 die in car crashes — that is 22 fatalities daily. Of these, 2008 are 16-17 years old.
• Crash rates are the highest during the first six months and 1,000 miles of licensure.
• While on a test track, 100 percent of experienced adult drivers were able to stop at a red light when approaching an intersection while talking on a cell phone. Only 33 percent of inexperienced teen drivers were able to stop at the same intersection while distracted by talking on a cell phone.
“Almost everyone can think back to something that happened back in high school, similar to these instances,” said Busby. “It really hits home, and it only takes a little participation to make a difference.”
The SmartDrive program, now installed in the school systems, opens the doors for students to not only further their driving knowledge and live safer lives, but they can earn money to use toward their car insurance.
“I had students tell me that they would have started this years ago if they knew all the benefits that would come with it,” said Indian River High’s Dr. Vanessa L. Adams.
Adams, a family nurse practitioner, said she is pleased with the response her students have shown this past year. Students throughout schools in Delaware have the opportunity to participate in SmartDrive through an online, instructional program by answering three monthly modules with true and false, multiple choice and essay questions about safe driving.
“Parents are very interested with what we’re doing at this point, too,” said Adams. “I can’t believe how much this program is growing.”
Indian River placed third for student body participation in the southern division of the state, behind Sussex Tech and Dover high schools, which netted the Indians $500, geared toward prom-related functions. First- and second-place schools in the region receive $1,500 and $1,000, respectively. The winning student in each region receives a $4,000 post-secondary scholarship.
Currently, 42 of the state’s 52 schools are active in the program, as well as several schools in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The program is funded primarily through the Delmarva Broadcasting Company and other commercial entities, although the tax-exempt organization welcomes funding from other companies and individuals, too. Visit www.smartdrivede.org online for more information.
Students at Indian River wishing to participate in the SmartDrive program for a chance to raise money for the school and earn funding for future automotive insurance should contact Vanessa Adams in the Welless Center at the start of the 2008-2009 school year.