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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Nationally, as well as
locally, motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death
for young drivers. According to the 1995 results of the Youth Risk Behavior
Survey (YRBS) conducted by the Lincoln-Lancaster Nebraska County Health
Department, only 34.4 percent of Lancaster students who were surveyed
reported that they always wear their seat belts when traveling in a
motor vehicle. In the same survey, 19.8 percent of Lancaster students
reported having driven after drinking alcohol, within the past 30 days.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In 1998, the Lincoln-Lancaster
County SAFE KIDS/Safe Communities Coalition, in partnership with the
Health Department, developed the Youth Driver Training Program (YDTP).
Its primary goal is to reduce vehicle-related crashes, injuries, and
fatalities involving youth in Lincoln-Lancaster County, Nebraska. The
program was implemented with the following objectives:
- To design a curriculum
for instructing youth in safe driving skills
- To promote parental involvement
in the safe driving instructional process
- To reduce the number
of moving violations committed by youthful drivers
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Creation
of the YDTP was prompted by adoption of a graduated licensing system
for teen drivers in Nebraska—the Provisional Operators Permit (POP).
One of two optional requirements for obtaining the POP is for the teen
driver to document 50 hours of driving time with a licensed adult.
The Coalition
asserted that parental involvement and supervised behind-the-wheel experience
are essential for instructing youth in safe driving skills. These two
elements, combined with classroom instruction on responsible driving
behavior from the YDTP curriculum were judged to have the likeliest
chance of reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving
youth. The following are components of the YDTP:
- The Coalition
and the Health Department developed a workbook for use in YDTP training
classes. Trainers included a county judge, the sheriff, emergency
personnel, a trauma nurse, a high school athletic coach, alcohol and
drug prevention educators, rehabilitation staff from a hospital and
an insurance agent
- During
a two-year period, the partnership sponsored 15 YDTP seminars for
an audience of rural and urban teenagers and their parents/guardians
- A videotape
was created to promote the program. The videos and other materials
were disseminated to schools and community groups
- YDTP publicity
included radio spots, newspaper articles, television promotions, newsletters,
work place flyers and e-mail messages
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