Just because a student completes driver’s education does not mean lessons in safe driving end.
Students learned that Saturday afternoon at the Driving Skills for Life program at EastSide Centre.
The program is sponsored by the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office and the Tazewell County Health Department with assistance from the Illinois State Police.
Deputy sheriff Chuck Linton said this is the first time for the program in East Peoria. Last spring, the sheriff’s department received a grant from the Ford Motor Co. Fund to buy a trailer, three go karts and accessories for the program.
Driving Skills for Life teaches youth driving skills in a classroom setting and with hands-on experience on go karts.
Linton said 60 percent of teen crashes are caused by speed or space management and hazard recognition/vehicle handling issues.
A course set up with cones on the parking lot at EastSide had one long lane that divided into three at the end. Students drove at top speed (about 20 mph) until they approached the lane divisions.
At that time, one of three red lights would signal which lane they needed to take. At the last minute, the student driver would have to let off the gas, make sure the kart leveled, steer to the lane and make a sharp left turn, all in a matter of seconds.
Linton said last minute decisions like this can arise from a number of things on the road, such as an animal running out in front of the car.
“We teach them to release the accelerator, let the car level, then make the decision instead of jerking the wheel,” he said.
Linton held his hand out flat and said the rubber of a tire is no wider than the width of his hand. If a driver jerks the wheel of a car while turning, the weight is not balanced on all four tires, which could cause a spin out or a flip.
“People panic because they don’t train. They don’t teach that in driver’s education,” Linton said.
Eleven East Peoria Community High School students spent their Saturday afternoon learning and practicing this lesson.
Another lesson they learned dealt with eye-hand coordination.
“Your eyes are hard wired to your hands. Where you look, your hands will steer you unconsciously,” Linton said. “We make (students) aware of it.”
“Unfortunately, our parents who are teaching the teens to drive haven’t been taught that,” Linton added.
A second obstacle course consisted of curvy white lines marked with cones that drivers had to stay in between. The lesson was to look ahead and plan for the next curve, rather than looking straight ahead.
“We’re trying to get them to expand their field of vision so they can prepare for what’s next,” Linton said.
Students who took part in the event said it was fun. They shared some of what they learned.
Ruth Riggenbach, a senior, said, “Just because the speed limit says go this fast ... you have to adjust for the weather.”
Josh Stevenson, a junior, said he spent his Saturday learning driving skills to help make a difference by educating others.
Linton said that is another goal of the program.
“The nice thing about it is if we teach Driving Skills for Life to these kids, they’ll tell their friends.”
Students can also learn more at drivingskillsforlife.com, a Web site that includes games, quizzes and videos about safe driving for teens.
So far, Linton said they have done the program five times. He said they will take the program to places where there are teens.
Even though there was a small turnout Saturday, Linton said, “We’re going to have 11 good drivers when we leave.”
In coordinating the program, Linton said local organizations work together.
“No one’s sitting here wanting credit. We just want teens to be safe. My reward comes from not reading about any teen car crashes in the paper,” he said.
East Peoria, Ill. —
