Teen ‘roadeo’ puts brakes on unsafe driving

By Lillian Shaw, Telegraph correspondent
Published: April 11, 2010, in www.macon.com
http://www.macon.com/2010/04/11/1090291/teen-roadeo-puts-brakes-on-unsafe.html

MACON, GEORGIA - Police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel call it “The Golden Hour.”

In 59 minutes or less, emergency units must get to the crash scene, stabilize a trauma victim and get the patient on the emergency room table.

A crowd of teens, parents and locals witnessed a simulation of this fast-paced emergency rescue process as part of the Macon Teen Driving “Roadeo,” an all-day event Saturday meant to educate teens about safe driving.

“Our motto is ‘saving children of the world,’” said Gregory Bushway, a board member of the Macon Kiwanis Club, which partnered with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to host the event. “There’s a need in the community to educate teens and improve their driving skills.”

During the simulation, firefighters used the Jaws of Life to remove the door of a wrecked car, allowing emergency medical technicians to get to the patient. The real show-stopper arrived when a medical helicopter landed in the parking lot of the Hutchings Career Center, where the event was held.

Even though it was just a simulation, these kinds of situations can be all too real.

Groups of participants rotated through 18 stations, each focusing on a different safety issue, ranging from seat belts, to tire changes, to blind spots.

Bruce Stanford, an instructor with the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, taught teens how to maneuver a skidding or hydroplaning car.

“Don’t use jerky or rapid movements, and avoid dramatic weight shifts,” he said. “That’ll just make it worse.”

Teens were able to drive through several obstacle courses that tested their skills in steering, braking, parking and reversing. As Warner Robins High School sophomore Andrea Blackshear waited her turn at the wheel, she admitted that she still has problems backing out of parking spaces.

For young and inexperienced drivers especially, it is important to slow down, concentrate and be aware of other drivers, said Sgt. Brad Wolfe, a member of the Specialized Traffic Enforcement Patrol.

Wolfe led a demonstration that showed teens how alcohol affects a person’s sensory perception. While wearing goggles that distort vision to simulate drunkenness, the students were asked to walk in a straight line. Only a few of them could even stand up straight.

At another station, students attempted to drive golf carts through an obstacle course while texting on a cell phone.

The result was not pretty.

Elijah Broughman, an 18-year-old Howard High School student, admitted that he sometimes texts and drives, though he might not after Saturday.

Distracted driving can be just as dangerous as impaired driving, Wolfe said.

“Just slow down, be considerate of other drivers, and we’d all be a lot better off,” he said.