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Editorials

Drinking age debate continues

Augusta Chronicle

by Crystal Garcia|

Monday, September 01, 2008

At age 18, Kofi Akyere could drink legally in his home country of Jamaica. But after his time at the University of South Carolina Aiken, the 23-year-old said he's not sure American 18-year-olds are ready for all the freedom that comes with turning 21.

The buzz around college campuses the past few weeks has been about the Amethyst Initiative signed by roughly 100 college presidents. They suggested lowering the legal drinking age to 18 in an effort to combat binge drinking. But their colleagues in the Augusta area aren't joining the chorus.

Nor are people in law enforcement, who see a correlation between traffic fatalities and drinking among people 18 to 21.

Even many students say they're not sure lowering the age limit will curb binge drinking on college campuses. Mr. Akyere believes the legal drinking age should stay at 21 because he has heard of too many deaths related to underage drinking in the United States.

The official word

Lowering the age would be a mistake, law enforcement officials say.

Statistics support keeping it at 21, said Sgt. Pete Lamb, the director of the DUI Task Force for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

The drinking age was lowered once before. In 1971, the federal voting age was lowered to 18, and many states dropped the drinking age to 18 as well. In 1984 the federal government forced states to restore the 21-year-old minimum or lose a portion of their highway money.

"When the drinking age was raised, fatalities in that age group went down, which demonstrates lives saved by doing that," Sgt. Lamb said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 51 percent of binge drinking is done among ages 18 to 20. Eleven percent of yearly alcohol consumption is by children ages 12 to 20, the CDC said.

Harold Crawford, the alcohol enforcement teen coordinator for the 2nd Judicial Circuit in South Carolina, said that he does not think the age should be lowered. Young people have a hard time making rational decisions when they are drinking, he said.

"Nationwide we have roughly 33 young people killed in motor vehicle crashes every day, between the ages of 16 and 24, and 49 percent are alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes," Mr. Crawford said. That totals about 5,900 deaths a year.

In Richmond County, 4 percent of drivers charged by the DUI Task Force in 2007 were younger than 21, Sgt. Lamb said. That figure does not include drivers who refused a breathalyzer test.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office have had 76 incidents in 2008, according to Capt. Steve Morris.

Presidents' firm no

Officials of Augusta area colleges say they will not support the Amethyst Initiative, which was launched in July.

"I see some relevance in it, but I just think there's other things we should have as a priority than having our students drink at a younger age," said Dr. George Bradley, the president of Paine College.

Thomas Hallman, the chancellor of the University of South Carolina Aiken, said he is "not prepared to jump into this as a solution or even as a step in the direction of solving that problem."

Augusta State University President William A. Bloodworth Jr., who opposes beer ads on NCAA sports telecasts, said he has not seen statistics that show age is the reason for binge drinking among college students.

"The culprit is more likely to be beer ads than any aspect of the law," Dr. Bloodworth said in an e-mail.

Officials at the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Emory University and the University of South Carolina also said they do not support lowering the drinking age. Two Georgia presidents who signed the initiative, Kendall Blanchard of Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus and Robert M. Franklin of Morehouse College in Atlanta, have withdrawn their support, The New York Times reported last week.

Other views

Raven Jackson, Lakeside High School student body president, said a lower age would just make it easier for younger students to get alcohol. She said 18-year-olds are not mature enough to handle drinking.

"As a 21-year-old, you are an adult, you have to take care of yourself," she said.

Elizabeth Meyers, a senior at North Augusta High School, disagrees.

"If you can fight for your country, then you can drink," Elizabeth said, citing an argument often advanced by other proponents of a younger drinking age.

Donna Johnson, a parent of a North Augusta High senior, said she thinks her son is mature enough "in his thinking about drinking," but three more years of maturity will help him make even better decisions.

"I think it should stay at the age of 21," Mrs. Johnson said. "I don't believe an 18-year-old is responsible enough to be allowed those privileges."

Reach Crystal Garcia at (706) 823-3409 or crystal.garcia@augustachronicle.com.

College Presidents Stand Up for Common Sense? I'll Drink to That

The Wall Street Journal

By COLLIN LEVY

August 29, 2008; Page W9

Anytime more than 100 college presidents sign their names to a document, one naturally expects to find a well-meaning but wrong-headed exercise in political correctness. How mildly intoxicating, then, to discover the Amethyst Initiative, a case of ivory-tower interventionism that is actually sensible and even a bit brave: a proposal from 128 university leaders that legislators reconsider the national drinking age.

Led by former Middlebury College President John McCardell, the signers hail from schools as far-flung as Pomona, Tufts, Dartmouth, Duke and Ohio State, as well as from dozens of smaller regional schools. Their argument is a tactful recognition of the law of unintended consequences. Their bottom line: The current national drinking age of 21, raised from age 18 in some states in 1984, "isn't working."

They say that legally restricting alcohol consumption among most college-age students hasn't stopped such drinking -- it has only driven it underground. Binge drinking on campus now claims 1,700 lives a year, and university efforts to crack down are largely ineffective. Banning kegs just means that kids make use of more easily concealed and trafficked cans and bottles. Hard-partying fraternities don't stop their activities; they are just chased away from campus and set up shop nearby, or move off-campus on their own.

Re-legalizing the consumption of alcohol for those between 18 and 21, the college presidents say, would lead not to more drinking but to safer drinking. Because parties wouldn't be illegal, schools and parents could have more control over them. Kids would drink in campus pubs rather than in the woods or in unsupervised dorms and apartments, where no responsible parent or business owner or campus authority is standing by to make sure that they don't drive or to call them a cab or, in case of emergency, an ambulance.

On the Amethyst Initiative's Web site, some college presidents post the reasons they signed the petition. David C. Joyce of Ripon College writes: "It is ludicrous that we can send young men and women to war, but they can't legally drink a beer." Donald Eastman of Eckerd College calls the current law "hypocritical, ineffective, guilt-inducing and counterproductive." David Oxtoby of Pomona notes that "treating college students as adults will help them to make more responsible decisions."

Naturally, opponents have lambasted the proposal as irresponsible and dangerous. Mothers Against Drunk Driving says that the higher drinking age has reduced drunken-driving deaths -- a position that is regularly cited as the strongest argument for the status quo. But letting kids drink at 18 doesn't extend to them the right to drive while drunk. Lawbreaking is lawbreaking. Still, MADD's Laura Dean-Mooney insists: "Parents should think twice before sending their teens to these colleges or any others that have waved the white flag on underage and binge drinking policies." Alas, that wouldn't leave students with many options for higher education. Even Brigham Young and Bob Jones may not be totally dry.

The initiative that the university presidents propose is called "Amethyst" to echo a Greek word for sobriety. But undoubtedly their lawyers have also been whispering some Latin words in their ears, like in loco parentis. In September 2000, MIT settled a lawsuit for $6 million with the family of a freshman who died in a case of alcohol poisoning. There have been other cases, but MIT's gained national attention and promised to open the plaintiff-bar floodgates.

Since then, schools have adopted various policies aimed at demonstrating both their lack of responsibility for teenage drinking and their disapproval of it. But the policies haven't gotten them off the hook. Last year, a Yale undergrad filed a $20 million lawsuit against the university after a young man was charged with sexually assaulting her after a school-sponsored party. The school was liable, she argued, because its supervision of underage drinking was inadequate. Yale "encourages some of these activities," her lawyer said, because "they have no real rules or control on campus."

Incidents of drunken idiocy, of course, will always be one of the banes of a university president's life. These days even candidates for the White House are comfortable fessing up to "young and irresponsible" behavior with alcohol and drugs. But to suggest that a university administration is solely responsible for its students' drinking habits is a little unrealistic -- especially when the drinking goes on in secret, behind locked doors or off-campus. And it's refreshing that a few people in positions of authority have finally noticed the absurdity of the situation.

Alas, a MADD counteroffensive, which calls on the public to urge the signers to withdraw their names from the list, has had some success. Last week, heat from the press and potentially from alumni got to Kendall Blanchard, president of Georgia Southwestern State University, who noted that critics missed all the subtlety and instead "saw this as some kind of effort on our part to turn our schools into party schools." Robert Franklin of Atlanta's Morehouse College also withdrew his name, while others have continued to sign on.

Whatever its initial good intentions, a national drinking age of 21 has proved to be a failure. Teen drinking is still going on, but now no one is supervising it. Even if the college presidents, with their bold initiative, are just trying to save themselves some legal hassles and money they deserve a toast for stumbling upon this truth.

Ms. Levy is a senior editorial writer at the Journal, based in Washington.

Reader's Digest Reports on the Best and Worst States for Teen Drivers in First-Ever Analysis

Alarming Statistics Detail Scourge of Teen Driving Fatalities Magazine Urges Readers to Demand Stricter State Laws, Teach Teens Better Skills; More Details at http://www.readersdigest.com

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y., July 17, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the United States with July being the deadliest month. Each year, more than 5,000 teenagers die on America's roadways, but these deaths do not need to happen. Shocking statistics, revealed in a new report in the August issue of Reader's Digest, on sale July 22, highlight the risks teen drivers pose to themselves and others and the desperate need for states to pass stricter laws regulating teen drivers. As the report shows, more stringent laws usually result in fewer fatalities.

Reader's Digest ranked all 50 states based on their laws in three areas: graduated driver licensing, which imposes certain restrictions on teens before they are fully licensed; seat belt use; and DUI (driving under the influence). Complete rankings, as well as the methodology used in the report and other information, are available at http://www.readersdigest.com . The report also includes a ranking of states based on teen driving fatalities.

States were categorized as Best, Good, Fair or Worst. According to the report, the three states considered best for teen driving safety are: Alaska, California and Delaware. Among the worst are Montana, Mississippi and Arkansas, which also rank among the top ten states for the highest number of teen-driving fatalities per 100,000 teens. Reader's Digest gathered data for this report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

As the report shows, a number of factors contribute to teen accidents, including:

-- Speeding is a factor in 35% of crashes involving young drivers

-- Cell phone use increases the crash risk by 300%

-- Adding one passenger to a teen-driven car increases the fatal crash risk by 48%; adding a second increases it by 158%

-- 87% of teen deaths involve distracted drivers; radios rank as a top distraction

-- During nighttime, teens drivers are three times more likely to die in a crash than during the day

The younger the teen, the greater the risk. The crash rate for 16-year-olds is nearly double the rate for 19-year-olds. Yet, a recent study by Johns Hopkins University for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that comprehensive driver licensing laws decrease deaths among 16-year-old drivers by 38 percent.

"Car crashes kill far too many teenagers each year," said Andrea Barbalich, Reader's Digest Deputy Editor. "If we can save lives by passing laws that limit teen driving at night or require more driving time before teens can be fully licensed, then we should all mobilize to make that happen."

Only 20 percent of high schools offer driver's education today as opposed to 90 percent in the 1980s, putting the onus for keeping teens safe squarely on parents and state governments. Accompanying the report's data are tips for teaching a teen to drive and a graphic illustrating the anatomy of a teen car accident, which highlights the factors that dramatically increase a teen's risk of an accident.

"For decades, Reader's Digest has been a vocal proponent of safer roads," said Peggy Northrop, Reader's Digest Editor-in-Chief. "This report is further evidence of our commitment to this issue and our hope that readers will respond vigorously to our appeal to lobby their state governments to pass tougher teen driving laws." A sample letter for readers to send to elected officials is available at www.readersdigest.com, along with links to additional resources on teen driving and lobbying state representatives.

Reader's Digest reaches nearly 40 million readers each month in the United States and twice as many worldwide. Its U.S. website is www.readersdigest.com. The magazine is published in 51 editions and 22 languages, and reaches readers in more than 60 countries. It is the flagship of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., a global publisher and direct marketer of products that inform, entertain and inspire people of all ages and cultures around the world. Global headquarters are in Pleasantville, N.Y.

SOURCE Reader's Digest

 http://www.rd.com

''Allstate America's Teen Driving Hotspots'' Study Highlights Metro Areas With Highest Rates of Deadly Crashes
Business Wire 2008

Allstate Insurance Company
Debbie Pickford 847.402.0262 703.963.9229
dpica@allstate.com
Metro areas in the southern United States scored lowest in a study released today by Allstate Insurance Company that identifies "hotspots" where fatal teen driving crash rates are highest. The release of the study, which includes data for metropolitan areas around the country, kicks off the company's national "Action Against Distraction" safe teen driving campaign.

The "Allstate America's Teen Driving Hotspots" study found that the 10 deadliest hotspots among the nation's 50 largest metro areas are concentrated in the southern United States and include three in Florida. According to the study, the metropolitan areas (a central city and its surrounding counties) that were the deadliest hotspots for fatal teen crashes are:

-- Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla.
-- Orlando/Kissimmee, Fla.
-- Jacksonville, Fla.
-- Nashville, Tenn.
-- Birmingham, Ala.
-- Phoenix, Ariz.
-- Kansas City, Mo. (and Kan.)
-- Atlanta, Ga.
-- Charlotte, N.C.
-- Louisville, Ky.

The study examines recent federal crash statistics, Allstate claims data on teen collisions, and U.S. Census bureau statistics to score metro areas across the nation on rates of fatal crashes involving teen drivers.

"The study shouldn't just concern parents and leaders in the nation's deadliest hotspots - car crashes claim the lives of more American teens than anything else coast-to-coast," said George Ruebenson, president, Allstate Protection. "Although some cities post better scores than others, the whole country must take responsibility for addressing this crisis. We feel that state and federal leaders should enact uniform national standards for graduated drivers licensing laws. Further, we must have better conversations with teens about safe driving and set good examples through our own good driving behavior."

Interestingly, the markets scoring best in the study include some of the nation's largest cities. While these metro areas generally had more total fatal accidents than others - including the New York City area with a nation-leading 869 fatal accidents involving teen drivers from 2000 through 2006 - the scores were lower when factored against the size of local teen populations. The best scoring cities are:

-- San Francisco/Oakland, Calif.
-- San Jose, Calif.
-- New York City (including Long Island and northern New Jersey)
-- Los Angeles, Calif.
-- Cleveland, Ohio
-- Milwaukee, Wisc.
-- Boston, Mass.
-- Portland, Ore.
-- Salt Lake City, Utah
-- Chicago, Ill.

The study also found that, across the U.S., fatal crash rates for teens are double in rural areas compared to cities and suburbs. Nationally, of the 43,437 fatal crashes involving teen drivers from 2000 through 2005, 29,998 were in metro areas. But the average rate of fatal teen crashes in rural areas nationally is 51.5 annually per 100,000 teens, compared to 25.4 in metro areas. The greatest disparities in rural over metro crash rates was seen in Florida, with Delaware and Utah also posting significant differences.

The study was conducted by Allstate in conjunction with Sperling's BestPlaces (www.bestplaces.net), a Portland, Oregon research firm specializing in demographic studies and analysis. A more detailed breakdown on the study results - including other market and state comparisons - can be found at media.allstate.com/, click on press kits located on the left.

Today's release of study findings by Allstate Insurance Company kicks off the company's new national "Action Against Distraction" public awareness and policy campaign, which also calls for a national federal standard for graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws and urges Congress to enact the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act.

In addition, throughout May and June - months leading up to some of the deadliest driving days for teens - Allstate will be conducting teen distracted driving training courses aimed at reducing the impact of distracted driving practices such as texting and talking on the phone while driving. Teens in over a dozen cities throughout the United States will participate in the distracted driving training courses.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an average of more than 17 teens a day die on American roads during June, July and August - the three months with the highest teen crash rates. Nearly 6,000 teens die in car crashes every year, a statistic that hasn't changed in more than a decade. While research shows that both parents and teens believe alcohol is the cause of most crashes involving teen drivers, the primary causes of most teen crashes - between 2003 and 2005 - was driver error (87 percent).

To help teens stay safe through prom, graduation, the summer and beyond, parents should initiate a conversation about smart driving. This conversation can include completion of a Parent-Teen Driving Contract, which helps set guidelines for smart driving and consequences for not living up to those expectations. Parents and teens can fill out the interactive contract - setting their own expectations and consequences - online at www.allstate.com/teen.

Research conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development indicates intervention materials, including parent-teen driving agreements, increase parental restriction of high-risk teen driving conditions among newly licensed drivers.

Allstate also urges state lawmakers to enact better state-level GDL laws that allow novice drivers to gain driving experience gradually and under low-risk situations. An effective tool for saving lives, GDL laws typically involve longer periods of supervised driving, restrictions on late-night driving, limits on teen passengers and cell phone bans for drivers.

About Allstate

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate(R)" slogan, Allstate helps individuals in approximately 17 million households protect what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow through approximately 14,900 exclusive agencies and financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada. Customers can access Allstate products and services such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance through Allstate agencies, or in select states at allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate(R). Encompass(R) and Deerbrook(R) Insurance brand property and casualty products are sold exclusively through independent agents. The Allstate Financial Group provides life insurance, supplemental accident and health insurance, annuity, banking and retirement products designed for individual, institutional and worksite customers that are distributed through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, financial institutions and broker-dealers.

Study release launches Allstate's "Action Against Distraction"
campaign, stresses dangers of distracted driving, calls for uniform,
national Graduated Driver's License (GDL) laws

Allstate Teen Drivers Awareness ABC News story:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4808148

White County teen dies after alcohol-related cardiac arrest

By Stephen Gurr
sgurr@gainesvilletimes.com

POSTED May 2, 2008 12:35 a.m.

Authorities are considering new charges against a White County man charged with furnishing alcohol to a high school student after the teen died from alcohol-related causes Thursday.

John Gunter, 17, a 10th-grader at White County High School, died at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Thursday morning, five days after being brought to the hospital, White County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy John O’Brien said.

White County Coroner Ricky Barrett said autopsy results were pending, but that Gunter went into cardiac arrest in the early morning hours of April 26 as a result of alcohol consumption. The teen had been hospitalized in intensive care in the days leading up to his death, Barrett said.

O’Brien said Gunter was at the Briarwood Drive home of 22-year-old William Midgett in Cleveland when Midgett gave Gunter alcohol. Authorities seized as evidence a liter of peach-flavored vodka from the home with "about a capful left" in the bottle, O’Brien said. It was not known how much of the vodka Gunter drank.

An ambulance was called to the home about 1:30 a.m. April 25. Gunter and Midgett were apparently the only ones at the home at the time, O’Brien said.

Midgett was initially jailed on a charge of furnishing alcohol to a person under the age of 21 and a probation violation from a prior misdemeanor marijuana possession charge, O’Brien said. He remains jailed while authorities consider new charges in light of Gunter’s death, O’Brien said.

Sheriff’s officials are consulting with White County District Attorney Stan Gunter, who is not related to the teen, on what new charges may be brought against Midgett, O’Brien said. Stan Gunter did not return a phone message Thursday seeking comment.

An autopsy was scheduled for this morning at the Dekalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, Barrett said.

Targeting teen drinking
by Billy W. Hobbs
The McDuffie Mirror Staff Writer

Beware teenagers: Drinking and driving can get you or someone else killed or critically injured.

It also could have other severe consequences such as jail time.

Those were some of the strongest messages sent home with parents and students alike during a special town hall meeting to discuss prevention of underage teen drinking held at Thomson High School last Thursday night. The special program was sponsored by McDuffie County Partners for Success with funding provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The panel attending the program, which was moderated by WTHO News Director Donna Branch, included Sgt. First Class Jason Johnson, post commander of the Georgia State Patrol post in Thomson, along with Sr. Trooper Tommy Crafton, and Lt. David Cody. Other guests included McDuffie County Probate Court Judge Valerie Burley, Emanuel Bryson, director of the Department of Juvenile Justice for the six-county Toombs Judicial Cricuit and Danny Hedgepeth, an agent with Allstate Insurance.

Leigh Webb was the special guest. (Please see her story about the death of her son below.)

Lt. Cody, a veteran state trooper, began talking about the issue of underage teen drinking by saying that law enforcement officers never get used to knocking on the door of a residence or making a telephone to inform someone that their child has been injured or killed.

"As law enforcement officers, one of the most emotionally difficult aspects of our job is handling the aftermath of a serious or fatal crash involving a teen driver," Lt. Cody said.

He shared several eye-opening statistics.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers, he pointed out. Young people, between the ages of 15-20, make up only 10 percent of the driving population, but yet are involved in 12 percent of the fatal crashes.

More than 59 percent of young drivers and 69 percent of their passengers, ages 16-20, that were killed in those crashes were not wearing seat belts.

"Errors behind the wheel can lead to life-changing consequences," Lt. Cody said. "You drink and drive, you lose."

He encouraged those there as parents to be role models for their children and to be involved in their children's lives as much as possible. "Educate them about the laws and set expectations," Lt. Cody said.

"What we're doing here tonight is trying to save lives," Sgt. Johnson stressed, noting that he sometimes receives telephone calls from angry parents informing him that one of his troopers has written their child a ticket or issued a warning ticket.

He explained that the Georgia State Patrol has zero tolerance for drinking and driving and promised to continue to enforcing the state laws in each and every traffic case.

"We will use all of our resources to help us" in combatting underage teen drinking and driving in McDuffie County, as well as in the surrounding counties that troopers work in from the Thomson GSP post.

Judge Burley said teenagers who come before her for various traffic offenses are rendered no penalty within her court that could ever be greater than the penalty of death.

"Losing your license to drive for a little while is no where near as bad as losing your life or causing grief and pain for somebody else," Judge Burley said.

Bob Brunson and Jerrica Bell, both members of the Student Council at Thomson High School, also were present and admitted that some of their peers have parties that involve underage teen drinking, but that they don't condone it and do their best to discourage it.

OUR OPINIONS: Safety last
Stronger teen seat belt law languishes as lawmakers lighten load for DUI offenders

By Maureen Downey
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/25/08

In 2006, more than 1,700 people died in accidents on Georgia highways. The 2008 state Legislature has responded to that terrible carnage by passing House Bill 1027, which allows drunken drivers to take their court-ordered driving classes online, and by ignoring a bill that would increase seat belt use among teens.

The seat belt bill, sponsored by state Rep. Melvin Everson (R-Snellville), would save lives by stiffening penalties for teenagers who drive without seat belts. HB 924 languishes in legislative limbo, having failed to meet the deadline for passage in at least one chamber, but Everson hopes to resuscitate the bill by attaching it to another bill that did meet the deadline.

"There are certain elements in the House that fear we are becoming a nanny state with this legislation," said Everson. "But I don't see that, since the law already says you ought to have on a seat belt when you are driving. This law targets drivers 15 to 18 because we are losing so many of them to automobile accidents because they aren't wearing seat belts. Statistics show that over 50 percent of them could be saved if they had seat belts on."

In 2006, teen drivers were involved in accidents that killed 244 people in Georgia and caused 27,608 injuries. Ninety-three of the dead were the teen drivers themselves; 47 were not wearing seat belts. (Among the counties with the highest teen crash rates are Macon, Chatham, Richmond, Dawson and Clarke, which ought to dispel the prevalent misperception in the Legislature that teen crashes are largely a metro Atlanta problem.)

Everson's bill threatens teen drivers with suspension of their licenses if they are caught more than once not wearing a seat belt. It has the support of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

"Right now, the violation is $25 and no points associated with it," says Bob Dallas, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. "With this bill, we could say to teens, if you want to retain your license, wear your seat belt."

Everson's bill honors the memory of 18-year-old Billy Foulke, who was killed in a car accident in south Gwinnett in 2006. Billy and the young man who was driving died at the scene, while a second passenger survived. The survivor was the only person wearing his seat belt.

Billy had attended the New London Driving School in Loganville, and its president is among the driving instructors helping Everson promote his bill. Alan Deighton is mystified that the teen seat belt bill struggles, yet the Legislature readily embraces a bill that allows online courses for DUI.

"I call that law 'Give me another beer while my girlfriend does my DUI class thing online,' " says Deighton. "It just frightens me when the Senate and House can pass bills that lessen punishment for drunks and yet the bill to save teenage drivers seems to be treading water."

-- Maureen Downey, for the editorial board

INSIDE INSURANCE: Severity and frequency of accidents drives up auto insurance rates

Savanna Morning News
3/10/08
David Colmans

Just a few weeks ago, four young men in Florida died in an unusual early morning traffic crash. They were riding in a 2008 BMW trying to race a plane down the runway where actor John Travolta keeps his planes. The car slammed into a tree and all, ages 18-20, died in a moment of really bad judgment.

In another Florida news account, three are dead and a fourth is hospitalized after a crash on Interstate 95 in Broward County. They were in a Jaguar at 3 a.m. when the driver tried to exit onto a state road but struck a concrete barrier wall. The Jag then hit a concrete median, took off and flew over a wall only to fall 100 feet onto the interstate. Three were ejected and died immediately. One was taken to a local hospital.

These may seem to be extreme cases, but costly incidents are getting more and more common.

Auto insurers tell me that collision, bodily injury and other parts of overall insurance rates have been on the rise for at least the past two quarters. News reports indicate the rate of increase for auto insurance may be as much as 5 percent in some areas.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 3,490 drivers in the 15-20 age group died in motor vehicle crashes in 2006, and an additional 272,000 were injured.

Drivers age 15-20 accounted for 12.9 percent of all the drivers involved in fatal crashes and 16 percent of all the drivers involved in police-reported crashes.

Twenty-five percent of teen drivers killed were intoxicated.

In 2002 (latest data available), the estimated economic cost of police-reported crashes involving drivers age 15-20 was $40.8 billion, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And that just addresses the really young drivers.

Right now, there are competitive forces in play that work to hold down auto insurance rates in Georgia. However, if the number of traffic crashes starts to increase, along with increased claims cost, that will be reflected in the price of auto insurance regardless of competition.

Bottom line, the incremental cost of every fender-bender to the worst pile-up you ever saw has a cumulative effect on all motorists through the cost of auto insurance.

Falling auto injury claim frequency (the number of claims) and rising claim severity (more expensive to resolve) have created an unsettled auto injury claim environment nationwide, according to a new report from the Insurance Research Council.

The report examines recent trends for three major auto insurance coverages: property damage liability, bodily injury liability and personal injury protection. From 2000 to 2006, property damage claim frequency (the number of claims per 100 insured vehicles) decreased 11 percent, bodily injury claims frequency decreased 19 percent, and personal injury protection claims frequency fell 14 percent. These declines in claim frequencies mirror national trends in fatality and injury rates.

However, there is an increase in claim severity, or the average cost of claims. From 2000 to 2006, property damage claim severity increased 18 percent, bodily injury claim severity increased 22 percent, and personal injury protection claim severity rose 19 percent. Annually, increases in claim severity from 2000 to 2006 averaged 2.9 percent, 3.3 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively. The increases in claim severity are largely attributable to the rising cost of automobile repair and medical care.

David Colmans is executive director of Georgia Insurance Information Service. Contact him at 770-565-3806 or by e-mail at dcolmans@giis.org.

Dougherty police honored for PRIDE

The Dougherty County Police Department had the state's third-highest average number of families attending PRIDE classes officials say.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — State officials honored the Dougherty County Police Thursday for their efforts to educate the public about the dangers of reckless driving through a UGA-funded program.

Frankie Jones, the director of the Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute, which is an arm of the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences, presented DCP and Georgia State Patrol officials with certificates commending their efforts to cut the number of teen crash fatalities and injuries in 2007.

The awards stem from the DCP’s active participation in GTIPI’s Ride with PRIDE initiative, which combines the resources of the University of Georgia and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to provide free classes aimed at educating parents and teens about dangers on the roadways.

PRIDE, or Parents Reducing Incidents of Driver Error, are two-hour classes designed for both parents and their teen drivers. They are taught free of charge at the DCP Headquarters on Habersham Road.

According to Jones, the DCP had the third-highest average number of families attending the classes in the state and was only edged out by Metro Atlanta’s Coweta County Sheriff’s Office and the Savannah-Chatham County Police.

“I think it’s quite an honor that our department would be recognized along with these others for our work,” Dougherty Police Chief Don Cheek said. “To be in the company of those other two departments, who are significantly larger than us, is a statement to effectiveness of the program.”

Jones said that after several years in which teen crashes in Georgia were on the increase, state officials are now witnessing a decline in the number of teen crashes with injuries or deaths — a measure Jones believes is proof that the PRIDE program is working.

“We are seeing a decline in the number of crashes and I think that is a direct result of our attempts to educate the public on how to be safer drivers,” Jones said. “As far the program goes, it is just as much a wake-up call for parents as it is for their teens.”

Jones praised Joshua’s law, the bill passed by the Georgia Legislature that requires parents to spend hours of driving time with their prospective teen drivers, as the first critical step in getting parents involved with their teens and preventing crashes.

The second step, Jones said, is for the parents to get involved and take advantage of the PRIDE Classes.

“A lot of parents don’t know the changes in the laws or the latest driving trends,” GTIPI Parent/Youth Outreach Education Assistant Paul McMillan said. “The teens know because they’re exposed to it at school or from other sources, but parents are often kept in the dark. PRIDE classes really can serve as an eye-opener for parents about things they really didn’t understand clearly.”

Lt. Tom Jackson, the head of the DCP’s PRIDE initiative, said that interest in the program has grown as word has spread throughout the community.

“We’ve had people come from Tifton and Dawson and all over to participate in the class,” Jackson said. “That’s really what we want. We’re not going to turn anyone away from a program that we believe saves lives.”

TFC Anthony McKenzie, a trooper based at the Albany Post who was also honored Thursday, said that the State Patrol is making additional efforts to educate teen drivers and their parents in a move designed to cut down on crashes.

“The State Patrol has begun a program that sends letters out to parents of teens who receive a citation in an effort to keep them more informed about the driving habits of their children,” McKenzie said.

In a similar habit, Jackson said that he often calls the parents of the drivers he’s stopped on Dougherty County roadways from the scene to inform them of the situation.

“It’s not something that the drivers necessarily like, but it’s one way that we can keep the parents involved and that is the key,” Jackson said. “If any parents around here are like my parents were when I was younger, their punishment is often more memorable than anything a police officer can do.”

"Town, driver found liable in teen's death in crash"
BY HARRY FRANKLIN - hfranklin@ledger-enquirer.com --

A DeKalb County State Court jury has awarded $2 million to the family of a Talbotton, Ga., teen-ager killed when the car in which he was riding was struck by a train in Talbotton Nov. 23, 2005.

The city of Talbotton was found liable for $1.9 million and the driver of the vehicle, Jontavius Rucker, a sophomore at Georgia Southern College, for $100,000, in the wrongful death of Octavius Bunkley, said Roger Montgomery, attorney for the victim's parents, Deborah Bunkley-Walton and Michael Ryles, both of Talbotton. Rucker and his mother are from DeKalb County.

The trial lasted three days, with the jury returning the verdict about 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Montgomery said the railroad crossing on Fillmore Street had been poorly maintained and the site distance was far below the required standard. He said it is the only crossing in Talbotton that doesn't have safety devices to protect the public and that Bunkley was a passenger in the car when it was struck by a CSX Transportation train at 11:30 p.m. He was killed on impact, and Rucker also was injured.

CSX had been dismissed as a defendant, Montgomery said.

"We tried to settle this for two years," Montgomery said.

Teen accused of fleeing officers
11/15/07

LOGANVILLE - A 19-year-old girl was arrested Thursday after police discovered the girl had allegedly been drinking and driving on a suspended license.

According to a police report, Ashley Nicole Wages of 456 Suwanee East Drive was stopped by officers as she was driving near State Road 20 and Cooper Road in Loganville.

After leading authorities on a short chase, the vehicle stopped and officers noticed Wages switch seats with a female passenger.

When stopped the girls denied the change and Wages showed officers an identification card, admitting her license had been suspended. Officers also believed Wages had been drinking.

The teen was arrested and charged with fleeing and eluding, driving with a suspended license and possession or purchase of alcohol by a minor.

Bryan County Teen Charged
9/13/07

Tam Duc Le , 17, of Bryan County Geaorgia, was arrested about 2 p.m. Tuesday at his high school and charged with three counts of first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane and driving too fast for the conditions.

Le, a student at Bryan County High School, was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier that collided almost head-on with a pickup on Ga. 199 about 2.3 miles north of Bryan County High School on March 21, said Capt. Mike Maxwell of the Bryan County Sheriff's Department.

Heather Arthur, 15; Melissa Arthur, 17, and Laura Cobb, 17, were passengers in Le's vehicle. All three girls, who were students at Bryan County High, were killed at the scene. Melissa Arthur and Heather Arthur were sisters.

Le survived and was flown by LifeStar helicopter to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, where he spent five weeks in a coma as a result of his injuries.

The driver of the pickup, Robin Wilkes of Ellabell, was taken to East Georgia Medical Center in Statesboro and was discharged the following day.

Gainesville teen charged in fatal crash
8/17/07

Clifford Martin, 18, has been charged with second degree vehicular homicide in a June crash on Thompson Bridge Road in Gainesville. He is also charged with failure to yield right-of-way while turning left, violation of a limited driving permit and not having a required license plate validation decal. The June 29th crash killed 47-year-old Victor Anthony Davis of Dahlonega. Davis was on his way to work at Northeast Georgia Medical Center when Martin turned onto Tommy Aaron Drive in front of Davis' motorcycle. Mr. Davis died at the scene.

Martin was released from jail Wednesday afternoon on bond.

Parents must take the lead for teens
Michael Dresser | Getting There
Baltimoresun.com
August 6, 2007

"With a 16-year-old driver, the risk of a fatal crash is more than three times that of a driver in his or her early 20s. At 17, it's still twice the risk.

Now add the night factor. Studies have shown that teenage crash involvement rises after 10 p.m. Fatigue is likely to be a factor, as is alcohol. With 16-year-old males, the fatal crash rate per mile quadruples at night. According to the National Safety Council, while teen drivers put in only 15 percent of their miles at night, 40 percent of their fatal crashes occur during those hours.

Now the really scary numbers. Some studies have found that with three or more passengers in the car, a driver younger than 18 has five times the risk of a fatal accident as a teen driving alone.

Three times. Four times. Five times. That's a lot of multiplication. It may not literally be a 60-fold increase in danger, but you have a serious compounding of risk factors when multiple teens are in a vehicle at night."

View this article in its entirety: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/traffic/bal-md.dresser06aug06,0,7760991.column

Two Missing VA Teens Found in GA
NBC News
July 18th, 2007

Two VA Teens Abducted on Monday July 16th have been found. Investigators located both girls at a home in Mableton, Ga., shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, police said. Javier Ronal, 21, of Dumfries, Va., Erick Estrada, 23, of no fixed address, and a 17-year-old Dumfries girl were arrested in connection with the case. Police said each is charged with two counts of abduction with the intent to defile.

More on this story: http://www.nbc4.com/news/13702957/detail.html

Texting May Have Played Part in Fatal Teen Car Crash
ABC NEWS
July 15th, 2007

"Cell phones are a distraction and could be a contributing factor in this accident," said Ontario County Sheriff Phillip Povero.

Cell phone records show a text message was sent from the phone belonging to the driver, Bailey Goodman, at 10:05:52. A reply was sent to her phone at 10:06:29. Thirty-eight seconds later, someone called 911 to report the accident that killed Bailey and her friends.

"Cell phone records indicate the phone was in use," Povero said. "We'll never be able to clearly state that she was the one doing the text messages."

Text messaging may be one of the most dangerous distractions for any driver.

Read the Whole Story: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3379012

Fatality still under investigation: Officials consider charging teen driver
July 11, 2007
By Stephen Gurr
The Times, Gainesville

"A decision on whether to charge a Gainesville teen with misdemeanor vehicular homicide won't come until police have completed the accident investigation of a June 29 crash on Thompson Bridge Road and officials have consulted with the family of the Dahlonega motorcyclist who died in the wreck."

Read this story in full: www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20070711/localnews/184077.shtml

19 Year Old Georgia Teen Charged
July 5th, 2007

Matthew Waller, from Mount Vernon, was charged with the following:

speeding in excess of 130 mph
reckless driving, Waller and another motorcyclist refused to pull over for a Uvalda police officer for speeding.

It seems an officer lost the motorcyclists on Bells Ferry Road. A state trooper caught up with the cyclists on Ga. 19 about 2:11 p.m. The chase continued through Glenwood and into Mount Vernon. Troopers then lost sight of the motorcyclist from time to time due to high speeds. The motorcyclists split up in Mount Vernon, but the GSP was able to identify Waller. He was arrested at a friend's house off Ga. 56 about 4:30 p.m. As of July 4th the second motorcyclist is still at large and investigation is continuing.

State Farm Starts a Student Led Program,
"In The Blink of an Eye"

Students have set up parking lot checks to remind their peers to buckle up and turn off their cell phones while driving. They have also put together presentations about safe teenage driving, including a safety education night for students currently enrolled in driver education classes. This offers both students and parents a chance to learn more about the effects of distracted driving, making the program a community wide effort. With a successful program established in their own school, they are about to take their message on the road.

To read this article in full: http://www.lowestpricetrafficschool.com/driver-education/teen-driving/2007/03/teens-educate-teens-on-safer-driving.html

GA Teen Suffocated During an After-Prom Party Hosted by a Parent

18-year-old Leland Lamar Martin, died of "positional asphyxia due to airway compression in a person acutely intoxicated by ethanol." , said Barrow County authorities. The teen was found dead April 29 after a party at a house near Auburn, where the sheriff's department concluded that he drank "a significant amount of Everclear," or high-proof grain alcohol.

Authorities have charged three people in connection with the party, including the mother of the high school student who hosted it.

Thirty-nine-year-old Barbara Ann Michael was charged with the following:

nine counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor
two counts of maintaining a disorderly house
one count of party to a crime of furnishing alcohol to a minor

One teen, 19-year-old Anthony Perry of Auburn faces a reckless conduct charge for allegedly failing to call 911 after he found Martin in bad shape.

Another teen, 19-year-old Jerry Donta Sanders of Statham, also face the following charges of simple battery on accusations he kicked Martin when he was on the ground.

See full story: http://www.wyff4.com/news/13384795/detail.html

Teen Falls 5 Stories to His Death from Dorm Window

A Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledge, Tyler Cross, an 18-year-old freshman from Marietta, Ga., was found dead Nov. 17 2006 on the front sidewalk of an off-campus dorm. The teen fell five stories to his death from a dorm balcony. Police said that although the pledge accidentally fell, the fraternity is being investigated for hazing. An autopsy report said Cross had a blood alcohol level of 0.19, more than twice the legal limit for driving in Texas.

Read the Associated Press story in full:
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/13280801/detail.html?rss=atl&psp=news

Teen Indicted in Text-Messaged Suicide Attempt That Resulted in Road Death
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) -- A Fulton County grand jury has indicted a 16-year-old girl who authorities said failed in a suicide attempt that resulted in a road death. Louise Egan Brunstad was charged with six counts -- including felony murder -- in the October death of 30-year-old Nancy Salado-Mayo.

At the time, District Attorney Paul Howard noted that Brunstad was text messaging her intent to kill herself after another female student at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School refused to have sex with her.

The girl also is charged with aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road and speeding.

Salado-Mayo's six-year-old daughter was injured in the wreck. The indictment alleges thatBrunstad crossed the center line and struck the other car intentionally to kill herself.

Brunstad will be arraigned May 4th. Her attorney, Drew Findling, issued a statement saying that for a tenth grader involved in a car accident with no alcohol or drugs involved to be prosecuted as an adult on a murder charge furthers the tragedy for all involved.

USA TODAY
Special Reprint Edition
"Sixteen-year-old Gerald Miller swerved his sport-utility vehicle to miss a car stalled on Interstate 95. The SUV, traveling about 78mph, rolled five times. The boys were injured. The girls — Casey Hersch, 16, and Lauren Gorham, 15 — were thrown from the SUV and died."

To read this article in its entirety:
www.usatoday.com/educate/reading/Nissan2.pdf

'Crash' intended to keep teens safe
By Yolanda Rodriguez
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/10/07

Cracked glass. Twisted metal. Broken bodies.

Cobb police and fire personnel staged a car crash at Lassiter High School Friday to demonstrate the potential consequence of unsafe driving —- death.

Inexperience, distractions, drinking are often factors in teen crashes.

On the field were a black Chevrolet Blazer and white Mazda 262 with broken windshields and crushed doors. The Lassiter students, who were chatting as the program began, fell silent when Russell Carlisle, the chief judge of Cobb's State Court, reminded them that Friday would have been the birthday of a classmate who died as result of an accident last year.

The exercise was performed in anticipation of next week's prom.

Emergency personnel cut a crash "victim" out of the Mazda on the school's football field as students watched quietly. A hearse stood by to take away the "deceased."

Six students with fake blood and gaping wounds lay on the field. They represented the average number of teenagers who die during one school day nationally, said Cobb Firefighter Denell Boyd.

Brother gets five years for 2006 wreck that killed sisters
By KATHY JEFCOATS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/03/07

A Forest Park man has been sentenced to five years in prison for causing a February 2006 wreck that killed his two teenage sisters.

Umar Farooq Hussain, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree homicide by vehicle and two counts of serious injury by vehicle, Clayton County District Attorney Jewel Scott said Monday. He'll also serve 10 years probation.

Program Brings DUI Trials to Schools
By JORDAN ROBERTSON
Associated Press Writer

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Mark Flores' drunken driving case started last fall when his Lincoln Continental was spotted weaving on a residential street at 2 a.m. A blood test after his arrest revealed an alcohol level at nearly twice the legal limit.

The case ended Friday with Flores' conviction in the most unusual of courtrooms: a high school auditorium in front of about 100 fidgety teenagers.

Flores, 25, a full-time student in graphic arts, agreed to have his case tried at James Lick High School in San Jose as part of a state-funded program to try to deter seniors from driving drunk. He faced a real judge and prosecutor, and he is scheduled to be sentenced later this month on the two misdemeanor driving under the influence offenses.

Although first offense DUI cases like Flores' usually lead to punishments of six days in a weekend work program and a $1,600 fine, defendants who agree to have their cases heard in high schools are offered more leniency. Lighter sentences range from reduced penalties to waiving the fine outright and giving defendants credit for time served.

Flores felt nervous and embarrassed on stage, but said he connected with the students in a short speech after the hearing. "I'm not going to lie — at first I took it because of the deal," he said. "But I'd do it again. Now, I don't know if I'd do it on my own time, but I'd do it without the deal if the court wanted me to."

Defendants are selected by the county public defender's office and are usually close to high-school age. The cases often have such overwhelming evidence the defendants would have been urged to plead guilty anyway, said J.J. Kapp, Flores' defense lawyer and a supervisor in the public defender's office.

Kapp said the very public punishment is meant to deter high schoolers. Kapp said the office carefully selects defendants who are eager to participate and will be able to give something back to the audience.

Gabriela Dominguez, a 17-year-old senior, said Flores' case served as a good warning. "Just seeing him up there, I thought, 'I don't want to be that person,'" she said. "I wasn't thinking about drinking and driving anyway, but this made me really not want to do it."

Gurjot Pawar, 17, said the appearance conveyed a simple message: "DUI is not cool."

The program, which is run through the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, was the state's first when it launched in 2001. It has since been copied on a smaller scale in San Joaquin County, a few cities in Los Angeles County and elsewhere around the state, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Such programs appear to be rare nationally, though a similar program has been tried in Oklahoma's Tulsa County. That program incorporates videos of crashes and alcohol poisoning deaths after the hearings to illustrate the point.

In one study, ninth graders who participated in that program showed a greater understanding of the severity of DUI crashes and said they wore seat belts more often, but did not change their attitudes about riding in a car with an impaired driver.

"It gives them a vision of what actually happens in a DUI trial — you need an attorney, there are fines, there are consequences," said Margaret Headd, coordinator of the Santa Clara program, which has so far held 19 trials in high schools and one in San Jose State University. "They didn't have that vision before."

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April 7, 2007 - 5:02 a.m. EDT