Part A | Issue Analysis
In the year 2000, there were approximately 1.26 million fatalities around the world. This number does not account for those killed by natural disasters, wars or disease, but rather only represents those killed by traffic accidents alone. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that “25 percent of all deaths due to injuries are the result of road traffic injuries” (1). The leading causes of traffic and traffic-related deaths include impaired driving, improper or lack of use of seat belts and speeding. Drivers Safety also includes: child-passenger safety, graduated licensing, senior citizen safety (i.e. driver preparation, re-testing), motorcycle safety, road rage, street racing, weather safety (knowing how to be a safe driver in any weather condition), road engineering and railroad crossing safety. In 2001 there were 98,000 unintentional deaths in the United States. Furthermore, 43.7% of those victims were killed by a motor vehicle accident, thereby categorizing motor vehicles as the number one leading cause of death(2). According to a report by the United Nations on the Global Road Safety Crisis, the financial expenses of road traffic injuries amounts to $518 billion per year, and this amount continues to increase(3).
Alcohol, as well as an entire host of other drugs, contributes to such large financial expenses. Such substances have the capability to impede ones ability to drive responsibly, which many of us have experienced through losing loved ones in alcohol invoked traffic accidents. The combination of alcohol use and driving by young people with little driving experience and low alcohol tolerance can be deadly. By the time a driver reaches a blood alcohol content of 0.10, he or she is 51 times more likely than a non-drinking driver to be involved in a fatal crash(4). In 2005, there were 6,409 fatalities among 15-20 year olds in the United States; 36% of those were alcohol-related fatalities(5). It is estimated that three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives and youth drivers are three times more likely to be involved in fatal traffic crashes than all other drivers(6). As you can see, we still have a long way to go to prevent fatalities associated with underage drinking.
Although there has been a decline in road fatality and injury rates among teens over the last two decades, statistics illustrate that more needs to be done to prevent driving under the influence. Road crashes still remain the leading cause of death among teenagers and more 19 year olds die or are seriously injured than any other age group(7). Canadian studies reveal that young drivers are “over-represented” in road crashes for two basic reasons: immaturity and inexperience. Furthermore, 40% of teenage drivers who are killed in road crashes have been drinking and males account for 87% of the young fatally injured drinking drivers and 89% of the seriously injured drivers(8). “Understanding the impact of underage drinking and the economic costs associated with it, can promote more vigorous and comprehensive prevention strategies”(6).
Such prevention strategies would be especially beneficial to Canada, due to its heavy reliance on personal motor vehicles for travel. Despite its sheer size, Canada has a relatively low population density in comparison to other countries. Yet, due to the geographical area and limited public transportation in many parts of the country, vehicles have become an increasingly vital possession. With 19 million vehicles in Canada being operated by over 21 million drivers across more than 900,000 kilometers of land, road transportation is important to nearly every Canadian. Vehicle occupants account for approximately 75 percent of all road users killed and seriously injured each year(9). This number is not surprising since Canada has one of the highest vehicle ownership rates per capita worldwide along side their American counterparts.
With a staggering number of motor vehicle fatalities each year, safety belts can be used to prevent death in about half of those accidents. Using seat belts or car seats reduces the probability of being injured or killed in a traffic crash by 55% - 75%(10). The proportion of drivers wearing seat belts tends to increase with the driver’s age group, but this finding is not consistent across all provinces and states. “In Canada as a whole, the proportion ranges from 85.2% of those under 25, to 88.1% of those 25 to 49 and 87.9% of those 50 and older”(11). In the United States, roughly 72% of drivers and passengers wear seatbelts(12). As with any statistic, it is important to understand that the values provided are only estimates and are subject to change and any given time.
Government interventions such as mandating the use of seatbelts and the enforcement of more severe laws regarding drinking and driving, public campaigns, engineering safer vehicles and road structure enhancements all contribute to increased safety of road users. So why then, is each of the above issues important to the Youth Board and State Farm? Despite improvements, driver safety continues to be of great concern. While some accidents may only warrant economic expenses, traffic collisions are also associated with a large number of serious injuries and deaths each year. By creating safer drivers now, future drivers will be more alert on our roads and less likely to be involved in traffic accidents. We have all seen the headlines, “Young Family Killed by Teenage Street Races,” or know the faces of those involved in a near-death collision.
Recently, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, in conjunction with State Farm Insurance, released a report that highlights the danger of risky distractions and risky driving behaviors among young adults. The report found that 94% of young people acknowledged seeing young drivers be distracted by passengers. Furthermore, the report highlights that three-fourths of teens reported seeing driving fatigue among their peers. This is a cause for great concern, and one of the proposed remedies for this issue is Graduated Drivers Licensing.10
Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) is a three-level approach to granting full driving privileges to young adults: (1) Supervised learning period, (2) Intermediate license, and (3) Full-Privileges license.11 Indeed, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted research that demonstrated GDL has helped saved thousands of teen’s lives since its inception in many states.12
Endless studies prove that driving while sober and wearing a seat belt at all times will significantly reduce the likelihood of being injured in the event of a motor vehicle accident. This driver behavior, along with strong GDL laws should be the expectation of all citizens. With your support, we can better inform the public of the numerous ways to significantly reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. Together, we can create safer communities in which we live and work.
Part B | Examples of Driver Safety Service-Learning Projects
Through their research, the Westwood High School YMCA Achievers Club, in Arizona, discovered that as children age, the risk of death or injury considerably increases as a result of incorrect child restraint use. While the government has implemented laws that require children to be placed in appropriate child restraint devices, many loopholes exist. While a law concerning child restraint for kids under the age of four has been implemented, a second law exists in the state of Arizona stating that drivers can only be cited for improper restraint use if they have already been stopped for a different traffic violation. According to Westwood High School’s grant proposal, “Arizona, voters have, [additionally], refused to pass a law against allowing children to ride as passengers in the beds of pick-up trucks. Vehicles are observed daily in [the] area with unrestrained children and infants.”
Rather than watch more children lose their lives due to lack of attention to passenger safety, the Westwood High School YMCA Achievers Club decided to engage in a service-learning project in order to learn and communicate their findings as a means to save lives. Their objectives included creating informative materials that incorporated various learning styles such as games, skits, brochures, pamphlets, and videos. Furthermore, they implemented direct service learning by making presentations to junior high and high school students, as well as developing a presentation for Channel 99 -Educational Television. These presentations were interactive, allowing members of the audience to draw conclusions about child passenger safety and make a personal commitment to help ensure that today’s youth practice safety while riding or being around automobiles. To provide even more information to the public, the YMCA Achievers Club also combined forces with the Mesa Fire Department and Mesa Police Department and dispersed information through various media forums (local newspapers, radio stations, and television channels.
Through this innovative program, the students promoted the idea that passenger safety is not solely the responsibility of parents and adults, but for the children themselves. They can remind guardians that younger siblings need to be restrained. In addition, they have inspired other students to take initiative and fix the problems facing society themselves.
(All of the information is based on Westwood High School YMCA Achievers Club grant proposal).
(1) Juan Walte, “World Health Day 2004: Road Safety”, http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/whd04_features.htm (2004)
(2) “Report on injuries in America, 2001”, National Safety Council, http://www.nsc.org/library/rept2000.htm (July 28, 2003)
(3) “The Limiting Factor: economic costs of underage drinking”, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, http://www.madd.org/stats/1736 (Fall 1997)
(4) “Characteristics of the drinking and driving problem with youth”, MADD Canada, (2004), http://www.madd.ca/english/youth/stats.html
(5) http://www.madd.org/stats/9659
(6) David T. Levy, Ph.D., Ted R. Miller, Ph.D., Rebecca Spicer and Kathryn Stewart, "Underage Drinking: Immediate Consequences and Their Costs," Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation working paper, June 1999.
(7) “Characteristics of the drinking and driving problem with youth”, MADD Canada, (2004), http://www.madd.ca/english/youth/stats.html
(9) Road in Canada – an overview, http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/stats/overview/2004/menu.htm, March 2004
(10) Transport Canada: 1992 observational and telephone survey
(11) Results of Transport Canada’s surveys of seat belt use in Canada 2002-2003, http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp2436/rs200405/menu.htm, September 2004
(12) Seat belt usage reaches 73-percent, reports NHTSA, http://usgovinfo.about.com/blagencyrelease16.htm,
10 Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (2006). Driving: Through the Eyes of Teens. Available from http://stokes.chop.edu/programs/injury/files/PCPS_Reports/1289teen.pdf
11 Rocky Mountain Insurance Information (2007). Graduated Drivers Licensing. Available online from http://www.rmiia.org/Auto/Teens/Graduated_Drivers_Licensing.htm
12 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (2005). Graduated Drivers Licensing. Available online from http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/gdl.html
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