Teen driven program on teen driving

I am certain that crash reenactments don’t work to keep kids from dying in car crashes. (We do them because the adults involved feel like they are “doing something”.) I am pretty certain that trying to scare kids into behaving “right” (driving right, not doing drugs, etc.) doesn’t work. I keep looking for something that works. I don’t want to do nothing and I don’t want to “just do something”. I want to do something that works, that is proven to be effective. That is where we should spend our time and energy. That is how we are going to save lives.

Sunday’s Trib had an article about an approach that likely will work. It is a program designed and driven by teens that encourages “smart driving”. It “encourages them to preserve their lives…and to speak up when they feel uncomfortable with their friends driving habits”. “What we learned in our research is teens don't aspire to be safe drivers because being a safe driver isn't cool”.

You have to get teens’ attention at their “level”, where they will “identify” with what is being done/”pushed” and “take it” as their own. The programs for change must be “teen-led”. Then and only then will you change behavior. We must do this so that they take fewer chances and make the “right” choices. Then we will save lives and forestall death.