Letters to the editor

Lasting traditions

Arriving in Winter Park in 1956 with the influx of Lockheed Martin (then Martin Marietta), I remember well the evolution of Park Avenue. From a first-grade student at the little frame school houses of St. Margaret Mary School, skipping down Park Avenue from Eve Proctor’s down to Irvine’s and O’Brien’s (Pharmacy) news and sundries, I remember stopping and browsing through Cottrell’s Five & Dime. I remember that Cottrell’s always had very plain windows, nothing fancy, just plain five and dime stuff. I believe my mother still holds dear some treasured presents all of us five kids bought from there. After church on Sunday we would always go down Park Avenue. All the stores would be closed except for Irvine’s and O’Brien’s. We would get Danish pasty and a cherry coke… breakfast of champions. Thanks for letting me reach back to those fond memories (Re: May 10 column “Cottrell’s Five & Dime: Gone but not forgotten” by Clyde Moore). I loved Cottrell’s. It was a kid’s delight in there. The Yum Yum Shoppe was a very close second along with the Colony movie theater. Such fun memories. Our sons are in their 30s now living in Winter Park and Maitland, and the stroll down Park Avenue after church is still a favorite tradition.

—Sally Merrill Pickering

Winter Park

Accident risk goes up exponentially with more teenagers in a car

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety just released a study that shows a strong association between the number and age of passengers present in a vehicle, and the increased risk of a teen driver dying in a traffic crash. The report, Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers, found the likelihood of a 16- or 17-year-old driver being killed in a crash, per mile driven, increases with each additional young passenger in the vehicle.

Compared to driving with no passengers, a 16- or 17-year-old driver’s fatality risk:

• Increases 44 percent when carrying one passenger younger than 21 (and no older passengers)

• Doubles when carrying two passengers younger than 21 (and no older passengers)

• Quadruples when carrying three or more passengers younger than 21 (and no older passengers)

Conversely, carrying at least one passenger aged 35 or older cuts a teen driver’s risk of death by 62 percent, and risk of involvement in any police-reported crash by 46 percent—highlighting the protective influence that parents and other adults have in a vehicle.

The study analyzed data on crashes and the number of miles driven by 16- and 17-year-olds to assess the effect on a teen driver’s safety with passengers in the vehicle. Despite recent progress, the new report confirms that carrying young passengers (younger than 21) is still a major risk factor for 16- and 17-year-old drivers.

We know carrying young passengers plays a large role with teen drivers. Not only does it represent the freedom to be with friends, but it’s sometimes the lending hand that parents rely on for picking up younger siblings from school. These findings should send a clear message to families that parents can make their teens safer by refusing to allow them to get in the car with other young people, whether they’re behind the wheel or in the passenger seat. Additionally, given the significant decrease in risk seen when adults 35 and older were present, parents and guardians can also help protect novice teen drivers by spending more time with them in the vehicle.

Consider these steps for keeping your teen safe behind the wheel:

• Know the graduated driver licensing system for your state, and remember: even if the law doesn’t set a passenger limit, parents can.

• Sign a parent-teen driving agreement that stipulates teens will not ride as passengers of teen drivers without a parent’s advance permission.

• Provide transportation alternatives for teens who honor that pledge.

• Talk with other parents so they know the rules for your teen and can help enforce them.

• Spend time as a passenger when your teen is behind the wheel. Your presence and your guidance help make your teen a safer driver.

• Visit teendriving.aaa.com for resources that can help teens become safer drivers.

For a copy of the study, or to learn more about our work in this focus area, visit aaafoundation.org For additional resources, visit teendriving.aaa.com

—Michele Harris

AAA director, Traffic Safety Culture

The Auto Club Group