As dangerous as drunk driving

WHITEMARSH — With the simulation of real obstacles and distractions testing student response time, about 60 youth from Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (PWHS) recently participated in a teen driver safety simulation.

Project Ignition, sponsored by State Farm Insurance and birthed from the S.A.F.E. coalition, is a student-led campaign that teaches the importance of not texting while driving, a subject rampant in the media lately, as studies reveal the startling numbers of teenagers who have died from fatal crashes involving cell phones.

For about an hour, teenagers from PWHS were provided the opportunity to see, firsthand, the dangers of texting while driving with the use of a vehicle simulator. For students and adults present, the lesson was quickly learned that it only takes a few seconds for a motorist to lose control of his or her vehicle and suffer the consequences.

“This is a great way for teens to learn without putting them in real danger,” said Meg Kramer, founder of StreetSafe Driving Academy, the school that provided the simulator.

“It’s active learning that is so much more fun and effective. They otherwise are going to learn this when they are on the road.”

Kramer told The Times Herald the StreetSafe Driving Academy, based out of Bryn Mawr, is the only one of its kind in the country to have such a type of driving simulator.

“You want to be able to train them to anticipate the unexpected. This is a great way to do that. All kinds of things can happen on the simulator. Things will fall out of trucks or the car in front of you slams on its breaks. Our whole approach to driver training is very unique and different. If you think about it, it’s a skill they will rely on everyday of their lives.”

PWHS was among 26 other high schools from the U.S. and Canada selected to receive a $2,000 grant to implement Project Ignition this school year, as part of the existing S.A.F.E. Coalition between PWHS and Germantown Academy. But it was the police department that submitted the application on behalf of the school district.

According to a study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), only 28 percent of teenagers believe talking on a cell phone while driving makes a major difference in driving safety, while an overwhelming majority — 79 percent — recognize texting while driving is a dangerous proclivity.

“When that phone vibrates, we all, instinctively, have to get to it right away,” said Whitemarsh Police Department Sgt. Fran Wheatley, who helped organize the event. “The mission of this whole concept is to make the students, faculty and community understand we are all creatures of habit and we are trying to change some of our bad habits.”

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At Archie's high school, a talk about drinking

There's a MADD Cowboy on the loose at Riverdale High, but that's no reason to panic.
The cowboy in question is Jason Witten, tight end for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. And he's talking about the dangers of underage drinking as part of a Mothers Against Drunk Driving program that appeals not to just Archie, Jughead and the others, but to teenagers and parents in the real world, too.

"The whole idea here is prevention. To prevent kids from drinking," Victor Gorelick, president and editor-in-chief of Archie Comics, told The Associated Press. "But a lot of parents know that this can be a big problem with teenagers, yet they have problems talking to their kids."

So, in a bid to help bridge that gap, MADD contacted Archie Comics about PowerTalk 21, an April 21 national event that seeks to have parents talking to their children about underage drinking.

"One of the things that was discussed was the possibility of doing a story, involving Jason Witten," Gorelick said. "Riverdale is his first stop and that he's going to other schools, too."

And that's what transpires in "Archie Double Digest" No. 217, out this week in comic shops, which opens with prom around the corner and plans for a party with parents out of town.

"We've always tried to keep Archie up with the times," Gorelick said. "The story is not that long - only about eight pages, and it's entertaining, but it gets the message across at the same time."

That message is a frank and open talk about the perils of peer pressure and underage drinking, an issue that MADD CEO Kimberly Earle told AP was crucial in getting to teens and young adults.

"It's been a fantastic partnership and a fantastic way to get the word out," she said of PowerTalk 21, adding they were able to "reach a whole new audience."

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