Allstate and IFCK Rochester Smart Teen Driving Program
Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Rochester
The smart teen driving program continues to provide opportunities for teens to participate and help get a safe driving message out; it also offers parents, health professionals, educators, government officials the chance to learn more about what they can do to help. Past and current opportunities for teens include:Teen Advisory Boards: Traffic Teens, the teen advisory board from 2009-2011, created a Facebook group called Traffic Teens. Their message is to remind everyone to wear a seatbelt along with educating about distracted driving. They also created several giveaways to promote their message. One was an awareness bracelet to remind people to wear seatbelts and the other was a bumper sticker/magnet.
Fashion Statement Magnet image
In 2008, our teen advisory board had the opportunity to sit on a “teen think-tank” of sorts. They created a facebook group TEAM Awesome (team stands for Texting Endangers All Motorists) which everyone is welcome to join. They also helped design a window cling for their peers to be distributed throughout the county at places where teens meet. Smart Teen Driving Window Cling
If you would like one of these items please send a self addressed stamped envelope to the following address or contact Karen Knauf by email at karen_knauf@urmc.rochester.edu
Injury Free Coalition for Kids Box 655 URMC 601 Elmwood Ave. Rochester, NY 14642
Sports Venue: At our local AAA baseball field, Frontier Field, we are promoting a smart teen driving message through the “fan couch”, which is located just behind the outfield fence. A billboard above the couch has a safety message and a short video on parents as role models with a reminder not to text and drive is shown on the large screen. In addition, we keep outreach materials at the seating area.
During the 2011-2012 school year, a teen from Webster Thomas High School chose teen smart driving as her senior project. She worked on our teen smart driving program as both an actor and with the concept for our awareness video and created a web ad shown here; http://bit.ly/IMqoSc
Drive for Life: This 2 hour trauma workshop is held several times throughout the year in the Emergency Department. It gives teens a glimpse into what happens after a motor vehicle crash from a medical standpoint, beginning with a detailed crash simulation then a 911 call, to the trauma unit, to hospitalization and finally rehabilitation. The workshops have been very successful with positive reviews. We also now bring the program to the classroom through a program called Truth or Consequences. Specialists from The Monroe County Office of Traffic Safety and the Kessler Trauma Center present the truth and consequences of poor decisions when driving. This has also been very well received.
Truth & Consequences: A program similar to Drive for Life that is held out in the community at schools and other organizations. This program teaches how poor choices through distraction and inexperience can lead to tragic outcomes. Traffic safety specialists discuss risky driving behaviors, the physics of reaction and stopping times, current laws on junior drivers licenses and other alternatives to many peer-pressure related scenarios. Health care professionals discuss the physical effects of trauma on the body and the realities of a trauma resuscitation, hospitalization and rehabilitation.
My Car Your Life: This program targets the almost-driver or “pre-driver”. We show the movie The Fifth Quarter, stop it at various points and discuss its impact. Our goal is to promote being a good passenger and to teach teens how they can have an impact on what happens in a car.
Teen/Parent Driving Contract: A New York State specific driving contract is available at all the Monroe County Department of Motor Vehicle Offices for parents and teens to review. It is also included in a teen packet that is distributed to all new teen drivers. This contract will help start the conversation on how to be a smart driver.
NYS Teen Parent Driving Contract
Rides for Life: Rides for Life was a drive in style car show that includes a teen drive-in style event that’s part of the car-show (teens can bring their own wheels and show them off) and part safety fair (with stations featuring simulated roll-overs, impaired driving demonstrations, driving simulator and hazard obstacle courses). This event was held from 2006 to 2011.
Poster contest: While a senior at Aquinas Institue, Kelley created the winning poster design for the smart teen driving poster contest. Her creation has been printed and is available for distribution.
Contact Information
For more information on these events, contact Karen Knauf at Karen_Knauf@URMC.Rochester.edu.