Driven to Distraction
JACKSON TWP — Four wild-eyed teens sped recklessly around the lower parking area at Seneca Valley High School on Thursday afternoon, blasting their car stereos and blowing their horns.
But principal Mark Korcinsky calmly watched the spectacle as he munched on a sandwich.
The boys, all students at the high school, were participating in the Allstate Action Against Distraction teen driving challenge.
A team of Allstate driving instructors made the campus their 25th stop in a 43-city tour of high schools across the United States. The program is aimed at teaching young motorists about the dangers of distracted driving.
The team set up a course that spanned two parking lots near NexTier Stadium, then sent the teens one by one to navigate the cones while performing a number of tasks.
Instructors made the students eat and drink, retrieve notebooks from their backpacks, make cell phone calls and send text messages, speed while listening to loud music, and retrieve a water bottle from the passenger's floor, all while weaving through yellow cones.
Other instructors jumped in with the students, shouting and reaching across the front seat to honk the horn. The students also had to drive with the seat in a reclined position as instructors yelled to go faster.
More and more cones needed to be reset as the distractions were added.
The students also participated in maximum braking and collision avoidance exercises. The teens drove their family vehicles.
Ramona White of Lancaster Township watched as her son, Ben, sped around the course.
"Kids think they are great drivers and that they don't get distracted," said White. "This is a great way to show them what could happen without anything bad actually happening."
Seneca junior Alex Crawford called the event a good learning experience. He said the most difficult distraction for him was driving with only his opposite hand. Crawford also learned to look as far down the road as possible while driving as opposed to focusing on what was directly in front of him.
"I'm going to tell my friends they really ought to pay a lot more attention when they're driving," said Crawford, "and that you shouldn't text while you drive."
Chris Linville, a township police officer and high school student resource officer, said the exercise was a good addition to the lessons on the dangers of distracted driving that students learn in the classroom.
"Visually and physically witnessing what goes on puts the dangers more in perspective," said Linville. "I wish we could do this for more students."
Korcinsky said while he sees many students wearing their seat belts and obeying speed limits, Western Pennsylvania weather and winding roads require maximum concentration.
"It's a skill to drive, but you have to know how to drive defensively," said Korcinsky.
He said the district was pleased to have this program visit the Seneca Valley campus, and he hopes the student participants will act as ambassadors to their friends.
"Anything we can provide students to benefit safety and security and do cooperatively, we're going to do," said Korcinsky.
The Allstate Action Against Distraction teen driving challenge, which was held at Seneca Valley Senior High School on Thursday, endorses state and federal legislation that mandates a graduated driver licensing standard.These standards would have new motorists driving with restrictions, such as having no other minors in the car, and the restrictions would be reduced as the driver gained experience. The standards in other states have produced a 16 percent to 21 percent reduction in fatal crashes among 16-year-olds.Allstate endorses other teen-driving initiatives, including:• Keep the Drive, a national teen-to-teen smart driving movement• The Allstate Parent-Teen Driving Contract, which encourages families to work together to create rules for driving• The Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection ActAll these driving initiatives can be viewed at www.allstate.com/teen.
