The importance of safe driving practices for teenage drivers can not be stressed enough, considering that car crashes are the leading cause of death for drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 across the United States. That’s why there are many driver safety programs that are supposed to help teens develop safe driving practices and avoid accidents. “Drive for Tomorrow” is one of the most popular such programs, that has been teaching teen drivers how to avoid risky behaviors for a few years now, employing some rather unconventional, but pretty effective methods, nonetheless.
The “Drive for Tomorrow” program was launched by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) in collaboration with Operating Engineers Local 150, and it started in Williamson County in Marion, Illinois in 2008. Since then, seminars on driving safety have been hosted in different counties across the state, with thousands of teenage students attending them over the years.
Unlike most safe driving programs, that usually only involve a speech from a police officer, accompanied by a few graphs and charts, “Drive for Tomorrow” conveys the same message about the consequences of risky driving behaviors in a more straightforward way, using graphic images and driving simulators to give students a clear idea of what happens during a crash and the serious injuries you can sustain in a collision.
Distracted driving and drowsy driving are the issues that the program is focused on, as they are the most common factors in car crashes, especially those involving teen drivers. Representatives from the Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois State Police show students photos of teenagers who have been seriously injured or killed in accidents involving distracted, drowsy, or drunk drivers, and smashed-up cars, in order to shock them and make them realize just how dangerous texting and driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol can be.
Another segment of the course is intended to teach students the importance of wearing a seatbelt, using a “seat belt convincer” – a device that simulates a low-impact crash, intended to demonstrate riders how it feels to be in a collision in a car moving between 5 and 7 miles per hour. Students are seated in a carriage, restrained by a seat belt, and the carriage is pulled by gravity after the release of a lever, until it hits the bumpers at the other end of the device.
Finally, there is the Virtual Reality Driving Simulator, which allows students to see what it feels like to drive while impaired or while using a cell phone. Teenage drivers are particularly prone to distractions and drunk driving, due to their immaturity and inexperience, which is why this driving simulator session, that demonstrates how difficult it is to maintain control of your vehicle under the influence of alcohol, or while being distracted by a passenger, by texting, or by talking on a phone.
According to Williamson County officials, no student that has gone through this program has been killed in a car accident since, which clearly shows how effective its methods are in making teenagers embrace safe driving practices.