Licensing for teenagers is guided by statute and can require a tremendous investment of time and money. Colorado law requires teens between the ages of 15 and 18 to complete a state-approved driver education course, including 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training, which can cost between $450 and $800.

In light of our economy, most teens are waiting until they turn 18 because at this age you can walk into a Department of Motor Vehicles, take a written test and walk out with your driver’s license!  It’s a positive move as most teens by this age have developed good driving habits and achieved a higher level of maturity and responsibility to hold themselves accountable when driving on their own.

This month Colorado enacted a new law requiring children between 4 and 8 years of age to ride in booster seats. The most common injury sustained by children in automobile accidents is head trauma, and children under 1 year old are more likely to suffer from head trauma than any other age.  A rear-facing car seat is still required for babies under 1-year old and weighing less than 20 pounds.  However, after their first birthday and once they’ve reached 20 pounds, that child can be placed in a front-facing car seat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently reported that unrestrained children were almost three times more likely to suffer severe injuries in rollover crashes and eight times more likely in near-side impacts than restrained children.

If you cannot afford to purchase a new car seat, you can purchase an inexpensive used car seat or booster seat at garage sales, resale shops or thrift stores like Goodwill and ARC.  If you are unsure how to install a car seat or booster seat, you can take them to the nearest fire or police department and someone will educate you on the proper way to install it in your vehicle.

No one knows they will be involved in a car accident until it happens!  It comes out of the blue and with no warning.  It is our responsibility to keep our children safe!  If we don’t do it, who will?

Tiny Town was built at the site of the old Denver-Leadville stagecoach stop in 1915.

The TACT program targets passenger vehicles that drive aggressively around commercial vehicles in an effort to reduce the number of fatalities involving commercial trucks.  CSP has designated three specific periods of enforcement for the TACT program:  July 19-23, August 23-27 and September 20-24.

CSP reports that the top three driving behaviors accounting for over half of all commercial vehicle-involved crashes are speeding, following too closely and unsafe lane changes.  The TACT program was developed primarily to educate all drivers on the importance of safer driving around big rigs, including allowing more space when merging and changing lanes, following behind commercial trucks, and passing other motorists.

You can avoid accidents by keeping a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, stay visible when approaching commercial trucks, and don’t speed.  Also be mindful and avoid cutting in front of commercial trucks as this action reduces the truck’s distance required for braking and limits the driver’s ability to prevent an accident.  Of course, the most important thing of all – always wear your seat belt!

These truck ramps were implemented in the late 1970s to early 1980s to prevent truckers from burning up their brakes while they descended from the Eisenhower Tunnel to the bend just before Silverthorne.  The six ramps found along this particular stretch of mountain road are used approximately 70 times each year.  However, with the use of automatic slack adjusters for proper function of brakes, truckers’ need for these ramps has decreased over the past 30 years.  Other runaway truck ramps are found on eastbound I-70 in Mount Vernon Canyon near Denver, westbound U.S. 6 below Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, and two on westbound Vail Pass.

Keep in mind that runaway truck ramps see more use during the summer months as the high temperatures cause trucks’ brakes to burn and fail more quickly.   Unfortunately, the summer months see much higher traffic volume of non-commercial vehicles on these particular stretches of road.  If you see a semi truck emitting smoke, be sure to quickly move out of the way to allow it access to the truck ramps.

It seems an obvious smart choice to wear a helmet while riding a bike.  Unfortunately, the facts are that almost 200 children under the age of 15 die each year from bicycle-related injuries, almost 9,000 children are hospitalized, and over 340,000 children were treated and released by ERs for bicycle-related injuries.

I actually took my kids outside and showed them what happens to a watermelon that gets thrown on the pavement – the same effect as a human head hitting the concrete.  Children need to know the risk they run when they don’t wear their helmet.  Parents must model this behavior by wearing their own helmet and also discussing the importance of protecting your noggin with their kids.

A little background on bus seat belts – thirty-five years ago UCLA engineers designed “compartmentalization” to ensure the safety of bus passengers.  This design provided for high-back, well-padded and well-anchored seats capable of absorbing crash forces and allowed for large aisle side panels to contain riders.  The engineers also recommended a lap belt for additional and necessary protection.  Ten years later, and in response to a Congressional mandate, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) initiated the Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 222, which provided for only some of these proposed features.  The proposed standards left out of Standard 222 were the crucial compartmentalizing side panel and lap belt.  Additionally, the seat back height increase was eight inches lower than the engineers had recommended.   To say the least, these insufficiencies severely compromised passenger protection in side impacts and bus rollovers.  However, the NHTSA holds the position that school buses are one of the safest forms of transportation on the road today.

Buses weighing over 10,000 pounds are not legally required to have seat belts. The National Coalition for Seatbelts on School Buses cite the following reasons why they should:  (1) reduces the probability of death and severe injuries in accidents; (2) improves passenger behavior thereby reducing driver distractions; (3) protects against injuries in rollover or side impact crashes; (4) reinforces good safety habits; and (5) the nominal cost to install seat belts.  However, the NHTSA opposes seat belts on large buses saying they are “not only unnecessary but could also be hazardous.”  These are their reasons:  (1) seat belts are not helpful in the majority of fatal accidents; (2) more children are killed outside of buses – walking to and from the bus stop -  than inside; (3) there is no guarantee that students will use the seat belts; (4) seat belts could be used as weapons to injure other passengers; and (5) money spent in installing seat belts could be better utilized on other safety measures.

I guess it is somewhat comforting to know that out of 23.5 million children who ride buses daily, only an average of 7 bus passengers die each year in accidents. However, I see no reason why seat belts should not be mandatory on all school buses.  Can we place a dollar amount on the safety of our children?  Without these live saving devices, can we really feel that are children are safe?  Are we sending mixed messages to our children about their safety?  What do you think?