JOHANNESBURG – Miss Junior Teen SA 2013 Kristen Martin prioritised Road Safety Awareness on February 15, when she undertook to educate children on the importance of “arriving alive.”
The aim for the Sir John Adamson learner’s meeting with Ekurhuleni Metro Police officers (EMPD) and partnering in educating youngsters on the legal implications of driving without a license was also to inform them on the dangers of drinking and driving.
Arrive Alive reports that teenage drivers aged between 16 and 19 are four times more likely to speed, run red lights, make illegal turns, ride with an intoxicated driver and drive after using alcohol or drugs.
Their inexperience as drivers contributes to these teenagers underestimating the danger of their actions in certain situations. Kristen also wanted to have a few hours of the traffic officer’s time to get a better understanding of what the daily duties of a traffic officer entail.
The reasons why underage drivers pose such a significant risk to other road users, according to Arrive Alive, are the high number of underage drivers transgressing the law by going for a joyride. This can be attributed to peer pressure and a feeling of youthful invincibility.
“Teenagers have a sense that they can get away with transgressions – a feeling of bravado whereby ‘I can get away with anything’. This is further evident in research indicating that teens have the lowest rate of seatbelt use. About 30 per cent of crashes killing young drivers involve alcohol and are often combined with contributing factors such as speeding. Not only could these accidents lead to loss of life, but also severe physical and emotional scars on the survivors.”
Many parents are not aware that insurance companies are only obliged to honour claims from sober and licensed drivers and it is the parents who will have to compensate for the damage caused by underage drivers.
Advice to parents: “Know what your children are doing and where they are, how they are traveling to and from their destinations, talk to them about the consequences of their actions and the trouble they can get into and stress responsibility and the dangers to road safety.”
It is also important to discuss the need to avoid peer pressure and climbing in vehicles with underage and intoxicated drivers. It is the parents’ responsibility to put car keys where their underage children cannot get to them.
EMPD together with Kristen also wanted to use the platform to discourage children not to resort to a life of crime.
