D9

Alan Cochrane
City Views

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Speak Up

I was barely out of high school when I had my first car wreck.

I was going home for lunch on a cool September day and there was a light rain falling over the city. I had just turned right from Donald Avenue onto Elmwood Drive and was moving downhill toward the railroad tracks in the right-hand lane and didn't pay much attention to the big Mack dump truck coming up behind me. The driver apparently didn't see my little red Datsun and drifted over into my lane. The huge steel bumper connected with the front left side of my little car started ripping it open like a can of beans.

Needless to say, the prospect of being crushed to death wasn't all that appealing to me at the ripe old age of 18. Instinct took over and my right foot went to the floor, propelling the car forward away from the truck until it slammed into me again. I can distinctly remember the sight of a huge chrome grille on the other side of my driver's side window and thinking I was going to end up like the squashed bugs that were only inches away. I looked up to see the big shiny bulldog hood ornament staring down at me as the car was now sideways against the bumper and being pushed down the hill.

I could hear the tires screeching on the wet pavement as my little car spun completely around, wriggling away from the behemoth like a mouse escaping the jaws of a T-Rex.

To this day, I firmly believe the only thing that saved me was the light rain that made the road slippery enough for the car to spin out of harm's way.

I'm sure many of us who have more than 40 candles on our birthday cakes have stories about the wild and crazy things we did as teenagers and how we escaped the icy fingers of the grim reaper.

We're the lucky ones.

In my years as a reporter I've seen too many stories about fatal accidents involving young drivers who pushed their vehicles too far or made small mistakes that brought big consequences. And let's be fair, we've also seen many accidents that involved mature and experienced drivers. Next to the weather, bad drivers and harrowing experiences on our streets and roads are probably the most popular topic of discussion at coffee shops and water coolers around Metro Moncton.

But young drivers are the focus right now because statistics show they are the most dangerous. This week, the province of Ontario got the ball rolling on tougher rules for young drivers that put zero tolerance on alcohol. The rules also stop kids from driving those crazy 400 series highways in Ontario, limit the number of people they can have in the car while they are driving and keep them off the roads between midnight and 5 a.m.

Next spring, similar rules will be coming into play here in New Brunswick. The intent of these rules is simple: keep kids under control while they are driving until they can get some hours under their belt and become more experienced and safe drivers.

Teenage drivers will complain they are being unfairly painted with the jaded brush of statistics. In most cases, that's probably true. But we all know that insurance rates for young drivers have gone through the roof in recent years and will continue to rise unless something is done.

It's pretty hard to argue against tougher rules if you are a parent who is going through the anxiety of handing the keys over to your own kid. Anybody who's been in an accident knows how much repairs cost. And serious accidents can result in legal, financial and insurance nightmares. I can't imagine the horror of having the police knock on your door in the middle of the night to bring the news.

Earlier this week, I talked to Peter Christianson, the president of Young Drivers of Canada. When he was three years old, he survived a car crash that killed his father.

He said the new rules for young drivers are a step in the right direction, because they force young drivers to gain more experience with a co-driver. Obviously he has an interest because that is his business. But it also puts the onus on us as parents to spend more time with our kids and teach them as much as we can about driving.

Christianson says the worst enemies of young drivers are over-confidence and the inability to focus their attention on the task at hand. He says another problem young drivers have is the "inability to manage their own abilities."

He says that it takes a lot of time for young drivers to get the feel of a vehicle and know its limitations. I firmly believe that the skills kids can learn while riding bicycles, dirt bikes, go-carts, tractors and anything else with wheels and a steering mechanism will pay off when they get behind the wheel of the family car.

In places like Metro Moncton, traffic congestion is growing with the population, with more roads, more stop signs, more traffic lights and other distractions and crazy people to watch out for.

Young drivers will become the experienced drivers of the future. Let's give them a chance to develop their skills and hope they never have to play snowplow with a Mack truck.

n Alan Cochrane is an editor-at-large with the Times & Transcript. Beginning next week, his column will move from Fridays to Tuesdays. He can be reached by e-mail at cochrana@timestranscript.com