Purdue News

December 11, 1998 Purdue helps teens consider the cost of impaired driving WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Kelly Hoar never thought a disabling traffic accident could happen to her, but it did, and she was one of the lucky ones -- it took the lives of two friends. If the 17-year-old could give a Christmas present to all teen-agers in America, she would like them to realize that it could happen to them, too. December is the national Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, and car wrecks are a leading cause of death for Hoar's age group. While her nightmare accident was not tied to drugs or alcohol, Hoar said she hoped that sharing her story would help avert another tragedy. Two summers ago, Hoar was out with her friends in Campbellsburg, Ind., having a good time, cruising in a cool car, laughing and having fun. But the fun-filled night ended in fatality as the carload of four teen-age girls crashed into a telephone pole. Instantly, the driver and one passenger were dead, Hoar was seriously injured, another teen was in shock, and a close-knit community was mourning. A combination of excessive speed and inexperienced driving caused the accident. Only one of the four girls was found inside the car at the scene of the accident, the only one who had fastened her seat belt. She was found upright in her seat, in a mental shock that has blocked out all memory of the accident. The others, including Hoar, were hurtled from the car upon impact. "I woke up outside the car," Hoar said. "My legs were bent up, my left femur bone breaking out of the skin. But I didn't feel the pain, I just wanted to find my friends and get help." Help arrived quickly, but on its heels came the all-too-familiar headlines -- teens involved in driving fatalities. Every weekend in Indiana and all over the United States, teen-agers are out cruising with their friends having a good time. But teen-agers and motor vehicles can be a threatening combination. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), persons ages 15 to 20 comprised 7.1 percent of licensed drivers in 1995, but they accounted for 14.9 percent of all driver fatalities. Motor vehicle fatalities are the No. 1 killer of teen-agers and other young adults. NHTSA reports that more than 35 percent of such fatalities involving persons ages 15 to 20 are alcohol related. In 1996, 2,315 youths died in alcohol-related crashes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the United States. is making progress toward reducing alcohol-related traffic fatalities. The 16,189 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 1997 represent a 32 percent reduction from the 23,641 alcohol-related fatalities in 1987. Yet alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death for teen-agers and young adults. Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service has confronted the problem with the Community Systemwide Response (CSR) Initiative for Teen Impaired Driving. "Extension educators work with community leaders, youths, parents and teachers to identify local problems," said Pam Robbins, Coordinator of Indiana's CSR Initiative. "Teen-age impaired driving, which includes inexperience, high speed and recklessness, as well as alcohol and drug impairment, is a recurring issue that tops their lists. "Solving the problem of teen impaired driving is more than raising the age of obtaining a driver's license or placing new drivers on probation until they are 18. Communities must understand all of the issues, including the laws, prosecution and judicial policies, community attitudes and peer pressure." CSR gives communities the tools to tailor-make solutions to those problems, she said. CSR recently co-sponsored its sixth annual workshop with the Governor's Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving. Through the years, 30 sites, representing 29 counties, have sent teams of adults and youths to attend the workshops, addressing the problem of teen-age impaired driving in their communities. All 30 have implemented their own, community-specific educational prevention programs. Several sites, including Porter, Brown, Howard, Pulaski, Jay and Monroe counties, conducted a program, "You Think You Have Troubles Now," reaching approximately 20,000 high-school students. The program focuses on what happens if teens decide to drink and drive. One judge reported that the program was so effective, high-school students requested it be presented in middle schools, too. In five counties -- Rush, Brown, Jay, Morgan and Marion -- CSR presented "Little Red Driving Hood" to middle-school students. At a Rush County middle school where more than 200 seventh-graders participated, nearly all students noted on their evaluations that they had learned to not drink and drive. A site in Delaware County piloted an Ohio juvenile diversion project, "4-H CARTEENS," where judges send first-time teen traffic offenders to a peer-taught traffic school. Thirty-five teens have participated in the program. Another site in Marion County initiated the Perry Township Schools Honor Contract. Three-hundred high-school students have signed a contract that they will not drink and drive. This group plans to expand the program into inner city schools. "The program is successful because it is based on one teen helping another," explained Dorothy Campbell, CSR coordinator for Marion County. "They give each other the support to stand up against peer pressure to drink and drive, as well as use alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and cocaine." Students and adults on CSR advisory boards create and implement programs in their communities to curb the dangers that lead to impaired driving. They meet once a month to keep issues in the forefront. "We're losing our youth to impaired driving," declared Robbins. "It is an issue that needs constant attention." For Kelly Hoar, life will never the same. Two of her best friends are gone forever. After two initial weeks in the hospital, then several reconstructive surgeries, her left knee continues to pain her. And she still relives the fatal night over and over in her mind. "I want people to learn from my story," Hoar explained. "Close your eyes. Imagine yourself in a car with your friends. What happened to me could easily happen to you." Sources: Pam Robbins, (812) 967-3738 Kelly Hoar, (812) 755-4352 Dorothy Campbell, (317) 253-0871, extension 114 Writer: Shari Gasper, (765) 494-8415 Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page