To increase parental involvement, it’s important that parents be aware of the basics and why they are important to a new driver.  Here are six helpful key points:

Basic Vehicle Control Understanding: Parents need to know how to effectively communicate to their teen about the vehicle features, adjusting seats and mirrors and how to start the vehicle.

Develop Basic Understanding of Vehicle Dynamics: It is important that parents know what it means to be their teen's driving coach while driving and how they should communicate what their teens may expect to experience. This includes training parents on how to teach their teens the basic steps for moving, turning, stopping and securing the vehicle.

Practicing Basic Traffic Maneuvers: Graduated driver licensing (GDL) is intended to help reduce teen risk. Parents should be educated on GDL and the importance of slowly introducing their teens to different levels of traffic. During supervised driving, parents should provide tips and feedback on the use of signal, speed, brakes, following distance and mirrors.

Staying Alert: Parents should stress the importance of educating their teen on highway conditions, identifying traffic control devices, and visually searching for potential hazards from both vehicles and pedestrians.

Timing Traffic Moves: Positioning and timing at intersections requires skill.  Encourage parents to be aware of their driving and communicate their actions to their teens. Provide parents with tips on how to safely enter, cross and leave a roadway at multiple-lane intersections and how to communicate their actions to their teen.

Preparing for High Risk Conditions: Prepare parents to work through complex driving situations with their teens. Such things include providing tips on how to enter, drive through and exit freeways at interchanges. Provide parents the tools to communicate with their teens the importance of gap selection, timing and speed adjustments.

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The decline in motor vehicle traffic crashes is the largest in terms of both number and percentage since 1992.

The preview data shows the decline in fatalities occurred for passenger car occupants, light-truck occupants, and non-motorists (pedestrian and pedal cyclists). However, motorcycle rider fatalities continued their nine-year increase, reaching 4,810 in 2006. Motorcycle rider fatalities now account for 11 percent of total fatalities, exceeding the number of pedestrian fatalities for the first time since NHTSA began collecting fatal motor vehicle crash data in 1975.

The drop in passenger car occupant fatalities was for the fourth year in a row, while the drop in light-truck occupant fatalities was the first since 1992. The preview also shows that the estimate of the number of people injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes declined for the seventh year in a row. In 2006, just under 2.6 million people were injured compared to nearly 2.7 million in 2005.

The preview data show that the number of people injured declined in all categories except motorcycle riders and that the decline was highest for large-truck occupants and passenger car occupants.

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Electronic monitoring systems are capable of providing information to parents regarding their teen’s driving, including when, where and how aggressively. Some devices also provide ongoing, real-time feedback to drivers, helping to shape driving behavior. Alternatively described as “black boxes,” these systems are also used to collect data for safety and insurance research projects.

Most of these systems connect to the vehicle’s computer, and provide information to parents by either transmitting information to a parent’s computer or cell phone, or by the parent downloading data directly from the vehicle. Available systems vary in complexity, function and price.

Some devices are relatively simple, capturing limited driving dynamics and providing only basic information to parents, such as maximum speed and total distance traveled per trip. More complex systems may allow real-time GPS tracking, automatically notify parents if the car exceeds a certain speed or geographic boundary, or record video of a teen’s driving. Pricing can range from around $100 to several hundred dollars, plus a monthly fee. To date, research into electronic monitoring systems has been limited, such that their impact on safe driving cannot yet be fully assessed.

Several issues remain to be fully addressed by the manufacturers, purchasers and researchers of these systems, including:

• Trust issues between teens and their parents
• Impact on teens’ ability to resist peer pressure
• Actual use of the information by the parent

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In an effort to provide instructors with updated and interactive content, AAA has developed a new mini-module to complement any driver training program. The mini-module “Text Messaging and Driving Safety: When is it the Wrong Message?," was developed by AAA and driver training instructors from around the country in response to growing concern about the risks of text messaging while driving.

Designed to be delivered as a stand alone to complement to existing classroom delivery programs, this mini-module will provide information and open discussions on the risks involved in text messaging while driving. To download this free module, click here.

Do you find this type of information helpful? Are there other topics that you would be interested in? Let us hear from you, e-mail AAAdtprograms@national.aaa.com.

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It has been said that poor instructors can defeat good material, but good instructors can make poor or uninteresting material exciting. In order to make some material exciting, instructors need to use dynamic presentation skills. Listed are two techniques that have been used to gain and keep student attention.

Remodel a Window: The objective is for participants to see how people look at things differently.

Explain to the group that you just bought a new house, and one of the rooms in the house has poor light from the outside. You measured the window, mounted in a 2’x 2’ space, and decided to “modify” the opening. Using your saw, you removed a sizable amount of material. Upon completion, you had an enormous amount of extra light pouring into the room. However, when you measured the new opening for curtains, you were puzzled to find that the opening still measured 2’x 2’. How is that possible?

Answer: The original opening was either a circle or a diamond and you cut it out to form a square (See examples 1 and 2).  Discuss how different thinking can lead to a broader perspective and enhanced problem solving.

Example 1	Example 2

Teaching Techniques to Prepare Students to Learn

Standing Ovation: This is designed to remove the participants' preoccupation and help prepare them to learn.

Ask all participants to stand up. Tell them that you believe increased blood flow in the body helps facilitate learning. Ask them to participate in some low- impact exercises. Start with their hands at their sides. Ask them to raise them up so they are horizontal with the floor. Now ask them to bring them together in front of their body so they can clap their hands. Repeat the last step several times. When the clapping stops, ask everyone how they feel. Tell them you feel great, because you've never gotten a standing ovation before.

We want to hear from you! Give us your feedback and/or your favorite teaching tip to share, e-mail AAAdtprograms@national.aaa.com.

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