By Megan DeMarco/Statehouse Bureau
Jerry McCrea/The Star-Ledger
New Jersey’s driver safety laws make the Garden State one of the safest in the nation for motorists, a report released today finds.
The state ranks second only to the District of Columbia, according to the highway safety report released by Advocates for Auto and Highway Safety.
New Jersey had 583 fatalities related to auto accidents in 2009, and crashes cost the state $9.3 billion.
The states were ranked on laws addressing seat belts and other protection for adults, distracted driving/text messaging, impaired driving, teen driving, and child protection laws.
New Jersey met almost every requirement, except a law requiring 30–50 hours of supervised
driving for teenagers.
The state got half credit for the requirement that teenage drivers be prohibited from driving from at least 10 p.m to 5 a.m., and half credit for not requiring an ignition interlock for all drunken driving offenders.
New Jersey is one of the highest-spending states when it comes to the financial burden of car crashes, the report found. In New Jersey, $9.3 billion goes toward the economic cost of vehicle crashes. Only Florida, California, New York and Texas spend more.
Nationwide, more than 33,800 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009, the report found, and more than 2.2 million people were injured.
Eleven percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes during the same time were teen drivers
between 15 and 20.
The report also found auto accidents significantly decrease during economic recessions.
Ever heard of Four Loko? If you haven’t, then sigh in relief that you’ve never been introduced to this blend of alcohol and caffeine—a blend that has been labeled “toxic” by New York Senator Charles Schumer.
We all know the terrible effects and consequences of drinking while driving; however, many don’t know that being caffeinated can be just as bad while driving. Hyper-alert, aggressive, and mentally tired despite being physically awake, caffeine has a shocking history of deadly crashes. (Especially with all those teens who rely on a Red Bull or a Starbucks frapp to get them through the day after staying up late, most likely on the computer.)
Well, try multiplying the effects of alcohol and caffeine together, and then squaring that answer, and then shooting it straight into hyperspace. That’s approximately the extent of the effects of this cleverly disguised poison. Mixing alcohol and caffeine creates the kind of explosion in your mind that shaking up a bottle of coke, stuffing mentos into your mouth, and then pouring that coke down your throat, does. But so, so much worse. Can you even imagine what state you’ll be in after drinking one of those, especially if you’re trying to drive? Not pretty. Even for adults who can legally drink alcohol.
So it’s no wonder that several states in the U.S. have decided to ban such evil drinks. Not only are states such as New York, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, and Washington banning such drinks, but many college campuses are as well. Smart move, really. Especially considering brands such as Four Loko contain as much caffeine as three cups of coffee and as much alcohol as three cans of beer in a single 23.5 ounce can. Wow.
http://www.usaliveheadlines.com/2386/four-loko-and-other-alcohol-caffeine-drinks-being-banned-in-us.htm
Does that sound familiar? If you’re a teen currently attending high school in the suburbs, there’s a good chance that it does. Run out the door right after last bell, jump into the driver’s seat, shove the key into the engine, fly past your teachers—who may likely be rolling their eyes at this point— and laugh at your squealing tires as you speed out of the parking lot, determined to get out first. Or, perhaps you’ve heard of lunch races—racing away from the school and seeing how far you can go and still get back before the bell rings.
It may seem like fun, especially as you get to soak up the attention of eager spectators who laugh, scream, and applaud daring moves; however, these races have also led to some of the most idiotic crashes recorded in the history of teen crashes. Crashing on the highway? All the time. Crashing into lamp posts? Normal. Crashing right under the nose of your chemistry teacher just in front of the school? …
Really, that’s not cool. Not only do you get in heaps of trouble and a “stupidity” label at school, but you also tend to lose respect amongst the rest of the town population—the majority of whom are not teenagers who can understand the adrenaline rush and thrill of dare-devil moves. Oh, and your parents will not be happy with the rise in your insurance—which you may very likely find yourself having to pitch in on.
Your school parking lots are crowded, and if you’re racing away from such a cramped space, there’s a very likely chance of crashing—whether into another racer, a poor innocent pedestrian, or just the curb. So, perhaps you may want to take second thoughts about those school races?
When we’re all squeezing into someone’s car, we tend to forgo much care over how many seats are actually available. Oh, we’re two seats short– we’ll just squeeze everyone in. It’s all too inconvenient and too much of a hassle to get another car for just another few people when everyone can see the amount of space left over in the car where people can squish in, or, in some cases, maybe even sit on top of each other. Besides, then we can announce our flirting with the law– and likely each other, if we are sitting on someone’s lap– across our social network(s) of choice later, automatically labeling us as fun, liked, and “cool”.
And anyway, what are the risks that we’ll get into a car crash, anyway? It’s really not worth the bother of getting another driver…
By carrying just one passenger the risk for a crash increases by 50 percent. With three or more passengers, the risk is nearly four times greater than while driving alone.
That’s insane. And as the normal teenage motor vehicle crash rates are about 2–3 times higher than those for all other ages, it’s a pretty high chance. And let’s not forget, 63% of all teenage passenger deaths in 2008 happened while a teenager was driving.
So why does the risk increase so much? Concentrated on the road or not, whoever’s driving will want to pitch in on the conversation, which draws his or her focus away from where it should be—the road.
As well, since there’s not enough seatbelts, people will be sliding. In the event of a car crash, which is pretty high considering motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15–20 year olds, the force you will hit the closest object with is astounding.
Let’s say you’re around 100 pounds—that’s about 8,000 pounds of force you’ll be thrown with. 150 pounds, then, is about 12,000 pounds of force, and so on. Trust me, it would be extraordinarily uncomfortable to be hit by your friend with that amount of force. It could very easily kill you. In fact, it has killed many people, with nearly 5,000 teenagers dying in car crashes nationally ever year and over 300,000 injured.
I know it’s annoying to have to worry about getting rides, and it’s much more preferable to have your friend drive than a parent. But don’t we all spend time installing firefox—or whatever browser you prefer—instead of sticking to safari or internet explorer, because we’re protective of our computers? Are not our own lives more important than those of our macs and pcs?
That small amount of time and effort taken to make sure there’s enough seats available for everyone can lessen the risk of crashing dramatically, and that might just save your life—whether literally, or in the being-able-to-continue-following-your-dreams sense.
The deadline for the U Got Brains Champion Schools Project Application is quickly approaching. Not only will this project help save lives; it will also be outstanding on your resumes, college applications and give you hands on experience in a collaborative environment. Each U Got Brains Champion Schools Project will receive a stipend of $1000 to help implement their project. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY. See Details…
http://www.ugotbrains.com/champion-schools-project.htm
