Ohio teen driving safety in the spotlight
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A training vehicle with Better Ohio Teen Drivers that teaches students how to avoid spinning out. Photo: Courtesy of Mark Bloom
Every three hours or so in Franklin County, state data shows a teenage driver is involved in a car crash.
Driving the news: Today kicks off Teen Driver Safety Week, as Ohio draws special awareness to the dangers of distracted driving, speeding and not wearing a seat belt.
Why it matters: Car crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, per the CDC, which notes many of these crashes are preventable.
Zoom in: That's long been the message from Mark Bloom, founder of an advanced driver training course serving Central Ohio teens since 2006.
- He describes his nonprofit, Better Ohio Teen Drivers Inc., as "fighter pilot training for new teenage drivers," drilling students on braking safely under slippery conditions, making emergency lane changes and how to avoid spinning out.
What he's saying: "The body cannot go where the mind has not been," Bloom tells Axios.
- The training, at a cost of $400 per student, is meant to "purge that first wide-eyed moment" to better prepare teens for how to react in real-world situations, he says.
- Bloom points to a study conducted by his nonprofit and OhioHealth that tested hundreds of teen drivers on a variety of skill drills.
What they found: One group of teens that had completed advanced driver training performed better on these tests than another group that hadn't.
- "When we see victims of motor vehicle crashes come into one of our trauma bays, the inexperience of drivers is often a factor," Urmil Pandya, the medical director of trauma services at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, tells Axios in a statement.
- "Young drivers are crashing because they don't always know what to do when they are exposed to adverse situations, such as inclement weather. Any additional experience teen drivers can get behind the wheel will hopefully lead to a reduction in these crashes."
Between the lines: Bloom sees the results as evidence Ohio and other states should expand the advanced training requirements to attain a driver's license.
State of play: Teen Driver Safety Week comes as Ohio has begun citing people for distracted driving violations.
- A new law prohibits drivers from texting, scrolling and manually inputting GPS directions while moving.
Of note: Gov. Mike DeWine recently announced a $4 million grant program supporting driver's ed programs to pay for new vehicles, instructors and other administrative costs.
- The state is also offering driver training scholarships for low-income families.