by David Chapman
Staff Writers
Experience as a requirement while having none.
The adage has frustrated many a job seeker, but it’s teenage drivers — and their parents — who can become frustrated with learning the ropes of the road.
The conclusion of “The 100 Deadliest Days for Teens” — a label given to the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day for teenage drivers — is approaching, but in the past month several deadly accidents involving teens have made local headlines.
Even with the dangers associated with more recent devices and gadgets — cell phones, text messaging, televisions in cars — adding to potential distractions, teenage drivers today aren’t too unlike their prior generations, says one longtime auto insurance agent.
“Youthful drivers are still youthful drivers,” said Matt Carlucci, a 30-year State Farm Insurance agent. “No better, no worse (than in the past).”
He notes that nearly all of the teenage clients he meets are great kids, but the statistics with young drivers hasn’t changed, as teenagers still are involved in a higher percentage of accidents than other drivers.
The statistics, said Allstate Insurance Co. spokeswoman Amy Moore, don’t lie: car accidents are the number one killer of teenagers. Many of those, she said, can be avoided by eliminating simple distractions.
Technology hasn’t been all negative, as there is a common trait among the automobile industry that’s negated the severity of accidents.
“Car safety has greatly changed,” said Joe McGhee, a State Farm agent since the early 1990s. “When your grandfather says ‘They don’t make cars like they used to,’ well, that’s a good thing.”
Older vehicle models, explained McGhee were built to ensure the integrity of the car remained intact during accidents. The people inside the vehicle, though, weren’t nearly as lucky. Now, impacts might crumple the cars but lessen the blow for its riders.
“While it may not cut down on the number of accident instances for teens,” said McGhee, “it certainly affects the severity of accidents ... as safety technology advances, it’s going to save a lot more lives.”
Over time, the common belief that teenage girls are safer (or better) drivers than teenage boys has faded — sort of.
As McGhee explains, from the scratches to the fender benders, young female drivers actually cause more accidents than their male counterparts. It’s the severity of the accidents that teenage boys are involved in that has led to the stigma and slightly higher rates.
A “teenage hotspot study” done by Allstate Insurance Co. last year named Jacksonville as having the third highest teen fatality crash rate based on teen population. The rate was 36.87 teen fatal crashes per each 100,000 teens in the metro area. Jacksonville wasn’t alone, as both Tampa and Orlando placed first and second, respectively, in the national study.
Lending to McGhee’s assertion of male accident severity, the Allstate study also claims that based on gender, males are involved at a 2.33:1 ratio — or 133 percent more.
In light of such studies and figures that show the problem, insurance companies are stepping up their educational programs to show young drivers potential danger.
“We do a lot in the realm of teenage driving,” said Moore, on the organization’s numerous education and outreach programs for teenage drivers. “It’s a concern and a big focus.”
At the personal level, Carlucci meets with each of his teenage clients and their parents for one-on-one sessions and explains some of the dangers on the road, the responsibilities that come with teenage driving — to both the child and parents.
“I invite them in for 15-20 minutes to talk and I really think it can make an impact,” said Carlucci. “It’s important for them to understand.”
The teen safety initiative is an issue all the insurance companies agreed on, but most offer forms of discounts if clients meet criteria that generally take a little time, effort and preparation.
Everything from good student discounts (maintaining a 3.0 grade point average) to driver’s education classes and defensive driving courses can help knock off a few dollars from most policies and have been present for years. But it’s additional programs that can really assist wallets.
State Farm offers a “Steer Clear” program, which allows clients to save on their policies additionally by filling out comprehensive booklets with information on driving trips, milage driven, safety questions and an additional agent interview. Allstate offers additional teen discounts in ways such as completion of a teenSMART program, which it partners with for education.
For parents, the discounts encourage participation that can lead to big savings.
“Discounts haven’t changed,” said McGhee. “Especially with this economy, it really pays for the parents.”
Putting on makeup, reading a book, grabbing that cup of coffee and looking down to switch the radio station — those and others were some of the major distraction offenders in the past for drivers. Today, it’s cell phones, text messaging and handheld devices diverting eyes off the road. Laws have been passed in several states restricting both cell phone and text messaging use while driving, here’s how Florida stacks up with some other states.
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, www.iihs.org
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