Young drivers benefit from alternative sentencing

By Dave Clark

Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008 | midnight

It's been nearly a year since the Henderson Municipal Court began fully implementing an alternative sentencing program, targeting young drivers charged with moving violations.

Henderson Municipal Judge Diana Hampton said the Advanced Interactive Driver Education program, which teamed Henderson with the American Traffic Academy, has had a positive effect on young drivers.

The sessions involve a half-day of hands-on driving covering areas such as emergency braking, emergency lane changes, controlling a car on wet roads and distractions.

"I ask quite a few drivers when they come back what they thought of the program," she said. "The overwhelming response is that they learned quite a bit about how to handle their vehicle better in dangerous situations."

More than 90 percent of those who have gone through the program have not been issued any traffic tickets since completing the course, said Robert Prevost of the American Traffic Academy.

The classes, which began in December 2007, draw between 80 and 90 participants every other month.

Students' fines are suspended if they complete the program and have no further violations for six months, Hampton said. The charges are also amended to non-moving violations.

"We are given quite a bit of latitude," she said. "We are allowed to do what we feel is the best thing for the defendant."

Hampton first broached the idea after a local parent approached her with the feeling that the city's current alternative sentencing program was insufficient.

"I wanted something that was more intense, that would cater more to teaching students behind the wheel," Hampton said.

Prevost's American Traffic Academy caught her eye. After contact with Hampton, Prevost developed a curriculum specifically targeting young drivers.

Prevost said the program begins with a 45-minute classroom session, teaching students about the car's performance features that can help them avoid crashes. Then they head to the cars. The first exercise deals with anti-lock brakes.

"We teach them it's not there to stop the car faster," he said. "We're teaching them to steer and brake simultaneously."

The second exercise involves an emergency lane change maneuver where students traveling at 45 mph have to quickly shift to another lane before moving back to the center lane.

The third exercise incorporates wet car control, where soap and water are applied to the roadway. Prevost said students head for the area at 40 mph and then try to turn.

"We teach them how to recover from skids and slides," he said. "Most people think if you get into a skid, you have to worry about flipping your car. This teaches them you can't flip unless you hit something."

The fourth exercise offers another test, where students are hit with a barrage of distractions, both inside and outside their car.

The course is strewn with orange traffic cones and traffic signs with different information. A Wiffle ball is also dropped at their feet, rolling around while the students drive.

"They realize then and there that every distraction that takes their eyes of the road leads to catastrophe," Prevost said. "Distractions are the No. 1 cause of accidents."

Prevost said 75 percent of participants attended the program for speeding charges, 10 percent for failure to yield and 10 percent to 15 percent for accident-related offenses.

Prevost said the classroom session tries to address these areas, noting intersections are the site of 80 percent of collisions, which are often caused by distractions. He said instructors also point out the link between increased speed and difficulties in braking.

In addition to the lessons, Prevost said, he tries to make the classes fun.

"We know that after 20 years teaching high-performance driving, the more memorable it is, the more likely it is to have an impact," he said.

"They are typically really surprised at how much they learned in such a short period of time," Prevost said. "They are amazed at how little they know of car-control skills."

Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or [email protected].