CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

No doubt about it, Blount parents will take a STAND on this

The Daily Times - 7/28/2017

Prediction No. 1: STAND will be a hit with parents because it decreases the chance that dreaded news will come from a phone call from a law enforcement official - contacting the next of kin before releasing a name to the media.

Prediction No. 2: STAND will be a hit with teenagers because they’ll get a chance to drive a Blount County Sheriff’s Office cruiser.

STAND stands for Sheriff and Teens Against Negligent Driving. It’s an 18-hour course offered free of charge last week by the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. The purpose was simple, to train young drivers how to drive safely.

With Blount County Schools no longer offering driver education, the BCSO stood up to the task and put together STAND to help get young drivers back home safe and sound. (Alcoa City Schools and Maryville City Schools still have driver education for high school students.)

It’s hard to argue against the need for educating young people from the first time they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. We’re talking about a life skill. Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens;

• Six teens ages 16 to 19 die every day from motor vehicle injuries;

• Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are nearly three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older to be in a fatal crash.

All the news isn’t bad. Fortunately, teen motor vehicle crashes are preventable, and proven strategies can improve the safety of young drivers on the road.

That’s where STAND comes in. The course takes place over three days. Here’s a drive-thru version of what it’s about:

On Day One much of the morning discussion is on the dangers of distracted driving. Good place to start. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety research finds teens are among the drivers most impaired by distraction.

A recent in-car study showed that teen drivers were distracted almost a quarter of the time they were behind the wheel.

What to blame? The usual culprits: electronic devices, such as texting, emails and downloading music were among the biggest distractions.

In the afternoon, the STAND students got to hit the track for their introduction to the mac daddy of cars of the road - the sheriff’s cruisers.

On tap for Day Two were lessons on distracted defensive driving, backing up, collision avoidance and parking.

Finally on Day Three the students got to experience the effects of the “drunk buggy’” as they wore goggles that simulate drunk and drugged driving while operating a buggy, provided courtesy of the Alcoa Police Department.

Thanks to the University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research, the teens got belted into the Seatbelt Convincer. It allows the rider to experience the force generated by a 5-10 mph crash.

The force of the Seatbelt Convincer shows how effective a seat belt can be in keeping a person in their seat and reducing movement. In addition an insurance representative gave a presentation on the dangers of texting and driving.

Twenty-five students took part in this inaugural class. They came from Alcoa, Maryville, William Blount, Heritage and Farragut high schools, as well as several homeschool students.

Notice the use of the word “inaugural.” The most popular question among parents on social media was whether and when STAND would stand again.

The Sheriff’s Office says interest in the course justifies bringing it back. As to when? That’s to be determined later.

Don’t be surprised if parents insist on it. No parent wants to take the dreaded night-time phone call. (An aside here: a national 10-year study found driving after dark is the single most-dangerous risk a teenage driver can take when it comes fatalities.)

As for the dreaded call, no Blount County Sheriff’s Office official wants to make it, either. That’s why their taking a STAND.

It's hard to argue against the need for educating young people from the first time they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.