Safety experts offer tips for teen drivers
Feb. 8—Young drivers will get the chance to learn the rules of the road on Thursday at the Teen Driver's Permit Academy.
The class is put on by the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council. The session will cover topics including defensive driving, rules of the road and sign recognition.
Sheldon Lyon, executive director of the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council, said the practice of defensive driving is important to learn when you first get behind the wheel.
"It's important as we drive, we scan the roadway ahead, not only right in front of us, but what's down the road, a half-mile in front of us. While we're scanning, we begin to anticipate things that may happen and we prepare for them. So in case that unexpected event does happen, we can stop quicker," Lyon said. "These are just items of defensive driving where we're looking out for the other drivers and trying to anticipate problems that are ahead of us, something that young drivers have very little or no experience with."
Lyon said the permit academy was put in place to help teens pass the written portion of the driver's exam. He said that more than 50% of teens fail the written test, and one of the reasons why is a lack of studying.
Sgt. Shane Hux of the Missouri State Highway Patrol assists in teaching driver's education in the summer. He said that learning through a gradual process will show bigger benefits down the road.
"Your first day of getting behind the wheel, you probably don't want to go out and get on the interstate. Start out small, start out in the city limits in the rural area," Hux said. "Driving is different from the city out to the rural areas and then gradually work your way up to the highway interstate system. You don't want to go out and drive to Kansas City your first day ... make sure you get that gradual experience to develop your skills."
There are multiple challenges that young drivers are facing when out on the roads. Lyon thinks the biggest challenge in his eyes is a lack of experience
Hux said he thinks distracted driving is one of the biggest challenges for young drivers, especially since it's so common for kids to have phones at an increasingly young age.
"Every kid has a cell phone these days, they can't live without it. Information at their fingertips. It's hard for them to put that down when they're driving," Hux said.
Lyon said his advice for young drivers is to understand the importance of seatbelts.
"The seatbelt is an incredible safety device. It saves us in multiple types of crashes, whether it's a rollover, you know, a head-on, just different types of crashes," Lyon said. "That seatbelt is built around the other restraints such as the crumple zones in the car, the airbags. And all of these work together to save our lives in a crash."
Hux's biggest piece of advice is working to adapt to the different seasons and conditions that come with weather changes.
"You got the spring season ... out in the rural area we have big combines, tractors, things like that on the highways, you may come up behind them. They're not driving the speed limit. They're going a lot slower. Also, you got the winter months, the winter driving habits," Hux said. "For me, that was a challenge, getting behind the wheel, realizing that your vehicle doesn't stop whenever there's snow or ice on the ground. That just comes with the experience."
The Teen Driver's Permit Academy will take place on Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. at the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council building. Those interested can still register for the course at www.stjoesafetycouncil.org. There is a second session in March.
The council is also preparing for its summer driver's education program, which is open for registration online.
Riley Funk can be reached at riley.funk@newspressnow.com.
