Life Lessons
BUTLER TWP — Rural roads double the risk of a teenage driving accident, experts say, but texting is the new culprit contributing to teen injuries and deaths.
In fact, texting impairs driving ability as much, if not more, than drinking and driving, according to the new safety program, “Survival 101,” presented Thursday to Butler Senior High School students.
“When you mix texting, driving, passengers and speed it's an accident waiting to happen,” Thomas Vensel, Butler Township police officer said.
Vensel was trained to talk with high school students about dangerous driving errors including distracted driving, which includes texting.
Distracted driving includes taking one's eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off what's ahead. Texting is the worst kind of distraction, Vensel said, because it combines all three.
“I have zero tolerance for you guys,” Vensel told the class. “When I pull you over and I see that junior driver's license, you're getting a ticket.”
The texting trend worried Janie Shaffer, Butler High School health and physical education teacher, too. She contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation about the program.
“High school kids are so good at texting they do it during class and they don't have to look, so I know they're doing it in the car,” she said. “I just don't want anyone to die because they were using their cell phones.”
“Survival 101” is constructed to allow police officers to discuss with students their own experiences with death notifications and fatal car crashes. The program also shows the bodies of teenage corpses at accident scenes where speed was a factor.
Speeding makes a car harder to control, especially in bad weather or when an unexpected obstacle is on the road. Two thirds of teens admit to driving more than 10 miles over the speed limit, Vensel said. Driving 20 miles over the speed limit is reckless driving, a serious offense, he told students.
“I got a speeding ticket when I was 16 and it slowed me down,” Vensel said.
The program was an “eye-opener” for Jason Tomasovic, 17, of Butler. “It just makes you think that you have to be careful about what you do, and tell friends not to text,” he said.
“I had two cousins killed in a drunk driving accident, so it hit home for me,” said A.J. Lee, 18, of Butler. “I've seen people texting and driving, too.”
“A lot of kids text and drive,” said Cody Hartman, 18, of Butler. “I tell friends that I'll text for them, or if my parents call when I'm on my way home, I wait to talk to them.”
Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers, and adding one male passenger doubles the risk of death for a 16-year-old. Nevertheless, girls are not immune.“One of the girls had put on Metallica saying she wanted to hear something good before she died,” Vensel said, describing a fatal accident that included several teenage girls.“You might not think so, but the things I've seen do wake me up at night,” he said.Here are the critical messages Vensel shared with teens:• Seat belts save lives. Seat belts cut the risk of fatal injury by up to 60 percent.• Keep your eyes on the road. Teen drivers are three times as likely as adults to die in nighttime crashes.• Use extra caution when driving with friends. Ten teens die in car crashes every day.• Never drive under the influence of anything. One in four young drivers killed in crashes has been drinking. Three of the four aren't buckled up.• Pull over if you're tired. More than 100,000 crashes each year are caused by fatigue. Most teens don't get the nine hours of sleep recommended for them each night.
