From STAFF REPORTS
CORDELE — More than 250 Georgia families lose a teen driver in a car accident each year. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young drivers ages 15-20, with teen traffic fatalities accounting for 44 percent of teen deaths in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Safety Council.
Parents Reducing Incidents of Driver Error (P.R.I.D.E.) is a national, award winning, two-hour course designed to help establish a dialogue between parents and new teen drivers, ages 14-16, prior to the 40 hours of supervised practice driving time required by law.
The Crisp County Sheriff’s Office offers free P.R.I.D.E. classes to any teen and their parents who wish to attend in Crisp and surrounding counties.
Sheriff Donnie Haralson states, “This is a very proactive effort to reduce teen driving incidents and to prevent death. We are happy to offer this course at no cost to our citizens.”
Rather than a technical hands-on driver training course, this program addresses driver attitude, knowledge and behavior of the parent and new teen driver, as well as Georgia licensing laws. Parents and teens must attend this two-hour course together.
The University of Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute developed the program. To date, the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office has trained 67 teens, representing some 61 families from Crisp, Dooly and Wilcox counties.
No parents want their teen to be involved in a car crash, but teens have accidents in alarming numbers. From minor accidents to speeding and even DUIs, teens are not immune to the daily risks they take when they put the key into the ignition. And those risks can be deadly, for themselves and others.
Georgia law requires drivers under 18 to have at least 40 hours of driving with parental supervision, six of those hours at night. If a teen takes a driver’s education course, parental supervision for driving hours drops to 20 hours, with six of those at night.
Under Georgia’s graduated driver’s license program, called the Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act, drivers under 18 are prohibited from driving between midnight and 6 a.m. For the first six months after obtaining a license, drivers under 18 may only drive with family members. After the first six months, no more than three non-family members under age 21 are allowed in the car.
The graduated license law has helped reduce teen fatalities in the 44 states that have the law. In Georgia, fatal crashes have decreased by more than a third since the law was enacted in 1997, according to a study by Emory University’s Center for Injury Control.
Georgia added Joshua’s Law this year, requiring any teen under age 17 to take a driver’s education course to obtain a license; otherwise they have to wait until they turn 17. Under this law, a five percent levy on all traffic violations in the state will be raised – nearly $10 million per year – to make driver’s education available to every Georgia teen.
According to the National Safety Council, teenagers who drive at night and with passengers are four to five times more likely to crash than teenagers who are driving alone during the day. Researchers and advocates say teens need more programs aimed at reducing car crashes.
Dozens of traffic accidents involve teens – with and without injuries – every day. Parents must guide their teens in making better decisions about driving and equip their teens with the knowledge they need to prevent or avoid a car accident.
To register for this class, contact the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office at 276-2600 or register via the Internet at HYPERLINK “http://www.crispcountysheriff.com/” http://www.crispcountysheriff.com/. Classes are offered once each month at the Crisp County Law Enforcement Training Center. The next class is January 8. Seating is limited so reserve a seat today.
For more information, contact the Crisp County Sheriff's Office or visit HYPERLINK “http://www.ridesafegeorgia.org/.”
