February 2, 2005
Class teaches defensive driving techniques to youthful drivers
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Twenty people killed and 1,040 people injured.
In the four hours that 16 area teens were in class at the Defensive Driving Program for the Youthful Driver, that's the average number of people who died or were injured in car accidents nationwide.
More than 40,000 people die in auto accidents annually, and car crashes being the leading cause of death for drivers ages 15-24. To counter those numbers, the National Safety Council defensive driving course helps inexperienced drivers make good choices.
Using a workbook and guided by their instructors, the students learned about safe choices in speed, distractions, safety features, drug and alcohol use and driving in adverse conditions.
"It helped as a refresher, a reminder of the stuff we already know but you think about it more," said Amy Wall, a tenth-grade student at Elk Rapids High School. "I think what surprised me the most is that most people die [in car crashes] between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., that's why there's a curfew for teens."
The class was held Saturday at a Career Tech Center classroom and in the parking lot. Instructors were Dennis Padgett, a retired Traverse City Police officer, Tom Tarr of the Career Tech Center, State Police Lieutenant Chet Wilson and Traverse City Police Officer Kurt Bazner.
Defensive driving is a mindset of being alert and responsible at all times when behind the wheel. Parents of young drivers have signed up enough students to run the course three consecutive Saturdays, with the third session coming this weekend.
Organizers say they will offer as many courses as demand dictates throughout the year. Additional sessions for up to 16 students may be available at the end of the month.
"I think that parents in general are trying to do everything they can to protect their kids," said Tarr, who also teaches driver's education in Glen Lake and is a road test administrator for the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District. "We've really been overwhelmed with calls about it."
Hannah Sanford, also a tenth-grade student at Elk Rapids High School, was not thrilled when her parents enrolled her in the course.
"You don't really want to go but you understand, there are some things you just need to refresh on," she said.
Padgett began teaching defensive driving classes years ago while still a police officer. Now an instructor in the Career Tech Center's Public Safety Program, Padgett said this information is crucial for young drivers.
"We're usually the ones that are there when they make a bad choice or bad decision," he said of police officers.
After four hours of classroom time, the students have two hours in a car. The teachers guided them through a serpentine course on the parking lot of the Career Tech Center, having students accelerate and brake, swerve and stop as they negotiated it. Each student drove in both a fully loaded vehicle with anti-lock brakes and traction control and a stripped down subcompact.
"Having spent a lot of time working with the road and dealing with the youthful driver, I equated it to a sporting event," Padgett said. "You do not take someone just graduated from high school and put them into the Major Leagues, they work their way up."
"Yet when someone gets their driver's license at 16, we put them at the same level to compete with people who have been driving for many, many years," he noted.
The Defensive Driving Program for the Youthful Driver is held on a Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. and costs $45. For more information on the course or to add a name to the waiting list for future sessions, call Padgett at 922-7800 or 922-4658.