Statistics

• So I know I just posted. But this is the stuff I have to know for my test. What better way to memorize it than sharing it! Don't panic too much! :)
  
  1 of every 7 young drivers will have a serious crash by his/her 17th birthday


• For 16 and 17 year old drivers, crash involvement is a lifetime high during first 6 months of driving on their own


• Research indicates that errors due to inexperience, rather than high speed and irresponsible behavior, account for largest share of young driver crashes


• Each year approximately 35,000,(1 of every 6) 16-17 year old drives are involved in a property damage, injury, or fatal crash


• Each year approximately 90 young drivers in Michigan are involved in a fatal crash


• 55% of all young driver fatal crashes occur in daylight


• 35% young driver fatal crashes happen on Fridays and Saturdays


• 96% of all young driver fatal crashes happen on roadways with speed limit of 55 mph or less


• 14% young driver fatal crashes occur at stop signs


• 17 year olds are extremely more likely to be involved in a crash than a 16 year old. ( They start to think they know everything about driving)


• In app. 1/3 fatal crashes, the driver was killed


• That means the remaining 2/3 were passengers or pedestrians


• 63% of young driver's fatal crashes involved 2 or more cars


• 19% of young driver's fatal crashes are head-on
• 4% of young driver's fatal crashes are rear-end
• 84% of young driver's fatal crashes occur in fair weather conditions
• 74% of young driver's fatal crashes occur on dry road surface
• In 25% of young driver's fatal crashes, they didn't use seatbelts
• Cell phone use impairs drivers ablility similar to a driver with an .08 BAC
• Drivers using cell phones are 4 times more likely to get in a crash
• 50% rear-end crashes and 30% crashes could be prevented with an additional 1/2 second reaction time
• 64% of young driver fatal crashes had male drivers while 36% were female (Yaay, Girls!)

So this is kind of boring, and I didn't share all. I was kind to you, picking only the more interesting things! It's kind of scary, readin' this. I hope I will never be involved in a fatal crash. Period.

Have a great day and drive safe on the wet roads!
Emily

Driver's Education

I haven't written in a while because I've been having to go to Driver's Ed. Segment 2. Driver's Education is NOT fun. And if you have kids that will take it someday, try to get them to take it with at least one person they know. I am taking it with a private company and lots of the kids there go to Portage Central. They seem very nice, but their mouths are very yucky. Most of them aren't people you want to be best friends with.

A lot of people have been asking me what the process is on driving and getting your license. Then an adult will share how they got their license when they were my age, and I wish it were that simple now. This is the procss.

1st- At 14 and 9 mo. a teen is able to take driver's ed. segment 1. This consists of talking, scary videos, homework, tests everyday on homework, and at the end, an EXTREMELY long test full of all the stuff you've learned. You must get a certain amount correct or you fail. If you fail then you have to take the test again in the next class. At the end of this 2 or 3 week course, you receive a certificate saying you did segment 1 and passed.

2nd- You now go to Sec. of State and receive your Level 1 license. This license has rules though. You may only drive with a parent or if your parents make a "permission slip" then you may drive with someone else over the age of 21 with a license.

3rd- A teen must now drive 50 hours, 10 in the dark with a parent or someone else.

4th- Once you have had at least 30 hours of driving and 90 days have passed since you took segment 1, you may take segment 2. This has lots of scary movies emphasizing alcohol and driving. I think they choose the scariest ones with warnings at the beginning for graphic images on purpose. You take a test on the statistics of teen driving and crashes. (I'm doing that today). I think this is dumb. If you fail this, you take another, and if you fail yet again, too bad.

5th- Once you have your hours in, you take a road skills test. Which sounds hard. One parent must ride along, but may not say one word or the teen will fail automatically.

6th- When you turn 16 and have all the above done, you go to Sec. of State and get your Level 2 license. You may now drive by yourself, but not between midnight and 5 a.m. Passenger limits are determined by the teen's parents.

7th- When you are 17, have had level 2 license for a minimum of 6 mo. and gone a year without an accident, you get a level 3 license. You now have all the driving privileges like your parents.

Yes, this is very hard. And confusing. I'm gonna end by telling you that there is a new law in the making. It is against texting while you're driving. If you are caught doing this, it will be said that you were intexticating! :) I thought this was really funny.

Em