Teen traffic fatalities

Brooke Deaton knows firsthand the serious responsibilities involved in driving. - Just before Christmas, the 17-year-old Deshler High senior was in a wreck. She and the other driver were banged up, and her 2000 Nissan Maxima was totaled.

"It just suddenly happened," she said.

She remembers the wreck every time she gets behind the wheel. "Any little sound, I jump."

The experience has helped Deaton understand the seriousness of driving defensively.

"I pay attention more now. I do more defensive driving, especially when I have people in the car with me, because I'm responsible for their lives, not just my own."

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading causes of death among 15 to 20 year olds, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

In 2005, 3,467 drivers, age 15 to 20, died in vehicle crashes and an additional 281,000 were injured. There were 137 Alabama teen drivers killed in accidents in 2005.

On Jan. 12, two 16-year-old Colbert County cousins were killed in a one-car wreck after leaving school.

Traffic authorities say it's hard to pinpoint one reason for the number of teen fatalities.

In fact, some say it is a combination of things.

"I would say inexperience is one of the major factors, but not the only factor,'' said Eddie Russell, coordinator with the North Alabama Traffic Safety Office in Tuscumbia. "More times than not, young drivers run up on a situation that they don't know how to handle and the way they react can mean the difference between life and death.''

Law enforcement reports indicate failure to yield the right of way is the leading cause of crashes for teen drivers. Driver not in control, misjudging stopping distance and following too close also are among the top causes.

Distraction is one nemesis.

"They have cell phones, iPods, MP3 players and stereos. All of those can cause someone, experienced or inexperienced to lose their concentration,'' Russell said. "And when you're driving, you need to have total concentration on driving, nothing else.''

Even without gadgets, a car full of teens can be distraction enough.

"Everybody wants to talk and nobody wants to drive, and that's not good," said Ed Patrick, Russellville high driving instructor.

Russell said driver's education is a good start to the teen driving experience.

Darrell Higgins, who has taught driver's education for the past 13 years at Deshler, said his students receive the mandated six hours of in-car instruction, supplemented with 30 hours of classroom lessons.

"That's not enough to be a real good driver," he said.

To be good drivers, experts say teens need to remove distractions, parents need to be involved and, practice, practice, practice.

Teens should have at least 100 hours of supervised instruction, said Phil Berardelli, author of "Safe Young Drivers: A Guide for Parents and Teens."

"Driving instruction in this country is minimal," said Berardelli. He analogized driving lessons to learning the piano.

"You can't play the piano in six lessons," he said, referring to the six hours of in-car required instruction.

He recommends parents take age 16 as the year they teach their teen to drive.

"By spending this time with your kid, you show how serious you are and how much you care."

Ray Palermo, an officials with Response Insurance, a Meriden, Conn.-based company that provides traffic surveys, said the number of fatalities for teens has been fairly consistent since the mid-1990s.

Deloris Daily's 19-year-old daughter Clariss died in a one-car accident Dec. 18, 1995.

Daily, who was working for Red Bay Ambulance Service, said her daughter was northbound on Alabama 11.

"She had left me about 10 minutes before and was heading home, and it was raining,'' Daily said.

She said her daughter's pickup hit a bridge; the truck separated and exploded. "The sad thing is, we don't know what happened.''

Daily was the first emergency worker on the scene.

"I knew it was (Clariss). I don't know if it was the mother in me or what, but I just knew,'' Daily said. "I prayed all the way out there. We got there, and there was nothing we could do.''

On Nov. 3, 2004, Kim Bonds' three children -- 17-year-old Joi, 14-year-old Kadeem and 5-year-old Hope Lajerra Billings-Koger, left for school on Alabama 184.

"It was like any other morning,'' Bonds said.

The 1997 Chevy Malibu that Joi was driving collided with a tractor-trailer truck. All three children were killed.

Bonds now talks to teens about the tragedy and about driving. She goes to Hazlewood High School graduations to talk about driving dangers.

"I try to stress to them to be careful, watch out and be aware of their surroundings at all time,'' said Bonds, who wears her children's photo in a necklace.

She said sharing her story helps her deal with the loss while giving teens "a rude awakening.'' She said she wants them to understand that they aren't invincible.

Daily described her daughter as a careful driver who took driver's education in high school and always wore her seatbelt. "I trusted her driving anywhere,'' she said.

Bonds, too, described her daughter's driving as careful. "It shows it can happen to anyone,'' she said.

In a recent round-table discussion, nine students from Russellville High School said their parents were actively involved in their driver's education and talked about driving in general.

About half the Russellville students said they use handheld cell phones while driving, which is legal in Alabama, though several states have outlawed it.

Handheld cell phone users are as impaired in their reaction times as drunk drivers, notes a study from psychologist David Strayer, of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Four of the nine Russellville students had been in minor accidents.

"Not bad enough to bother me," said Kristen Mitchell, 15, who has her driver's permit.

John Mayfield, 16, who recently got his license, said he was in the car when his sister accidentally drove into a ditch. Why? "She was messing with a CD player," he said.

Kendra Tyra, whose cousin recently died in a car accident, said she's more "paranoid now.''

She and her sister, Kayla, however, said the accident hasn't changed how they drive.

Trevor L. Stokes can be reached at 740-5728 or trevor.stokes@timesdaily.com.

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@timesdaily.com.

Staff Writer Bernie Delinski contributed to this report.