Turning Point
Title: Turning Point
Description:
Turning Point: Roadway Work Zone Safety for New Drivers is a campaign to alert new teenage drivers to the hazards of driving in roadway work zones and to help them learn how to safely navigate through them. Born of a Congressional directive to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Turning Point is poised to address the entrance of some 2 million new drivers—mostly teens—into the driving population each year.
The ultimate objective of Turning Point is to reduce the incidence of work-zone-related crashes involving teen drivers and passengers—and thereby reduce the injuries and fatalities suffered by our youth. Existing driver education programs will be able to supplement their efforts and educational materials with new impetus and instructional tools from this program.
Under contract to FHWA to develop the Turning Point campaign, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) in partnership with the National Safety Council, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, and other firms and organizations has produced an educational tool kit of materials designed to alert, motivate and educate teens about work zone hazards and how to cope with them as new drivers. The "tools" include a motivational video, an interactive driving-simulation CD-ROM, an educational Web site, and this searchable resources CD-ROM of available literature (and other educational materials) on teen driving and roadway work zone safety issues. Other promotional and educational materials in the tool kits are aimed at presenting the campaign's messages to teenage drivers, their parents, and others.
Turning Point's five primary messages are:
• Know the work zone signs.
• Pay attention to other drivers.
• Stay focused. Avoid distractions.
• Expect the unexpected.
• Keep your cool. Be patient.
Some thought-provoking facts: As mentioned above, every year at least 2 million new drivers (mostly teens) begin driving and encounter the unfamiliar traffic patterns and hazards posed by roadway work zones. For inexperienced drivers, the maze of jersey barriers, traffic cones, flaggers, flashing lights, and orange signs is a scenario likely to cause confusion and dangerous driving responses.
Over the next several years, highway construction is estimated to increase by 33 to 65% and the number of roadway work sites will increase proportionally. Moreover, each year for the next decade, there will be more teen drivers in both absolute numbers and as a higher proportion of the driving population. The parallel upswing in both teen drivers and work zones will combine to create an even more dangerous environment where young drivers may be placed at a higher risk of death or injury.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle crashes kill more teens than any other cause. In the 15- to 20-year-old age group, they cause 32% of all deaths. The California Office of Traffic Safety tells us that a 16-year-old is 20 times more likely to be killed in a crash than an adult, due largely to inexperience. In the latest year for which we have data (2004) there were over 1,000 deaths and nearly 50,000 injuries resulting from accidents in roadway work zones. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates the annual cost to society as averaging $4.4 billion!
The significance of Turning Point as the campaign theme is first highlighted when new drivers get their license. This is indeed a turning point in every teen's life! Each needs to treat this turning point positively and responsibly—by recognizing the hazards and making the right decisions every time he or she drives—especially when driving through work zones. Teens' driving decisions can turn their lives completely around for the worst or keep them headed safely on their way.
Besides the teenage drivers themselves, the Turning Point campaign's stakeholders include parents, driving instructors and other educators, traffic safety advocates, transportation agencies and the road construction industry.
Video: Play Video
Primary Presenter: Dominique Dawes
Duration: 11 Minutes 6 Seconds
Active: Yes
Date Recorded: 08/29/2007 at 15:33
