Program puts juvenile traffic offenders on road to safety

Whether it is texting, listening to loud music or dropping a cellphone, driving while distracted can lead to traffic violations or accidents.

"Car crashes are the country's No. 1 cause of death and serious injury in ages 3 to 34," said Robert Prevost, founder of the American Traffic Academy. "It's not cancer. It's not heart attacks."

Even with driver's education courses in schools and parents who teach their children how to drive, Prevost said there still is information missing from the learning process.

The Henderson Municipal Court and the American Traffic Academy have created Advance Interaction Driver's Education to put juvenile traffic offenders on the road to becoming better and safer drivers.

The goal of the program is to modify the long-term driving behavior of young drivers while teaching them life-saving collision avoidance skills they might not learn in driver's education courses.

"About 45 percent of our drivers between 16 and 18 tell us they have already been in a crash (prior to the program)," Prevost said. "That's a huge number."

Advance Interaction Driver's Education was initiated in 2007 by Henderson Municipal Court Judge Diana Hampton. Before the program, Hampton would send juvenile traffic offenders to the Coroner's Visitation Program, which is designed to deter reckless behavior of at-risk youths by showing them the potential consequences.

"I wanted them to understand how they were driving a 5,000-pound weapon," Hampton said. "I would use whatever tools in my chest that I had."

One mother, however, didn't feel the program was appropriate for her child.

"I told her I was happy to talk to her," Hampton said.

After she met with the parent, Hampton was conferring with a colleague who saw an ad for a driving course put on by Prevost. Hampton contacted Prevost, and they began discussing a clinic to teach young drivers about safety. The program started in September 2007.

Advance Interaction Driver's Education is offered every 90 days with nearly 100 people each time. The class is divided into two groups for a half-day session.

Prevost said the first hour of the program is a class session that talks about changing long-term behavior.

"We don't focus on traffic laws," Prevost said. "We focus on making them safer drivers."

The second half of the course is outside. Drivers participate in simulations on panic braking and steering, collision avoidance and emergency lane changes, and wet surface and skid control recovery.

On a course at Sam Boyd Stadium, participants also learn firsthand about the implications of driving while distracted.

Prevost said the course is set up to simulate an actual street with traffic lights, street signs and U-turns.

At one point during the course, drivers are given a calculator and asked to solve a math problem - something in the realm of 852,000 divided by 125,000.

"This simulates texting," Prevost said. "The concept shows you can't text and drive."

Drivers might have something dropped at their feet, which they must try to pick up, to demonstrate other distractions.

Prevost said that in a driver's education course, teachers show students how to prepare for their driving test, not necessarily the information taught at this clinic.

The program's driving instructors include a retired Metropolitan Police officer who trained drivers at the police academy, as well as past and current race car drivers.

Juvenile offenders cited in Henderson are required to attend the program in lieu of paying their traffic fines.

Hampton said speeding is the No. 1 violation she has seen among offenders.

As long as offenders complete the course and have no citations for the next six months, Hampton said the citation is reduced to a nonmoving violation.

As a bonus, graduates of the program also may qualify for additional auto insurance premium discounts.

According to the municipal court, the number of citations issued to young drivers has decreased by more than 30 percent in Henderson. More than 1,750 drivers have graduated from the course.

Even though it is mandated for Henderson offenders, the program is open to everyone. It costs $180 and comes with a completion certificate. Parents are encouraged to join their children and test their knowledge on driving safety.

"Anybody with a driver's permit or a license can attend," Prevost said.

Prevost said the course's target is for ages 16 to 25, but he is beginning to reach out to baby boomers, as well.

"We want to help them understand the impact age has on their cognitive skills and driving," Prevost said.

Prevost said he has invited driver's education instructors to attend the class, but he hasn't had much response.

Prevost and Hampton said they would like to see this program in other jurisdictions, such as North Las Vegas.

Hampton said she hasn't heard one complaint about the program from those who have taken it.

Because of the expenses to run the program, it is offered about four times a year. Prevost said it could be offered monthly if there was funding to support it.

For more information, visit bettersaferdrivers.com.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 387-5201.