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Proud Member of National Independent Living Association
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Everyone Deserves a Family
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Transportation |
The Challenge |
ASCC strives to make a difference in these young lives to help accomplish and fulfill the endeavors
that await them.
Transportation is a means to livelihood. It is very important to have safe and reliable transportation to reach doctor
appointments, work schedules, grocery shopping and every day activities.
Unfortunately, the majority of teens that “age-out” of the foster care system, which reaches over 20,000 per year, are at
the age of 18 in most states, often without adequate support and preparation for entry into society as working productive
citizens. Yet, the state expects its foster children to make that transition, without regard to the effects from the tumult
and tragedy these youth have faced during their lives as well as their inability and general lack of preparedness to
successfully make that transition.
Since transportation is provided for them either by agencies or foster parents, very few understand the various methods of
transportation; let along have a driver’s license. Our youth today do not understand the concept that driving is a
privilege, not a right. A high percentage of our age group in foster care have not had that trusting adult who took
the time to teach them the “dangers” of the road; such as drinking and driving, speeding, defensive driving. Teenagers
feel as though they are invincible and nothing can touch them. Sadly, the crash rate for 16-year-olds is 3.7 times higher
than drivers of all ages. The crash rate for 16 to 19-year-olds is 2.7 times higher than drivers of all ages.
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The “had been drinking” (HBD) crash rate for 16-year-old drivers is 1.8 times higher than drivers of all ages.
The HBD crash rate for 16 to 19-year-old drivers is 1.9 times higher than drivers of all ages.
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How ASCC Makes a Difference |
In ASCC Transportation Program, our youth will develop a system which supports the teens in getting drivers' licenses,
access to use of vehicles, and more public transportation options.
Learning to become more independent and have reliable transportation will help these youth get better jobs and become
more responsible as they will have more options and broaden their doors of opportunities. They will be able to
participate in more community involvement activities and have a better balance in life as they will be able to enjoy
hobbies and recreation such as sports, entertainment and freedom that may not be accessible if they did not have a
transportation option.
- We also educate our youth to understand
- the pros and cons of buying either a new or used car
- using dealerships versus buying from individuals
- understanding financing and interest
- car accident knowledge – what to do and who to contact
- types of insurance and how to avoid extra costs
- what to do when being pulled over by a police officer
- general car repairs and practices
- using local metro transportation such as city bus or taxis
Our youth will learn the difference between a “privilege” and the “right” to get behind the wheel. They will gain a
strong understanding of the options available to use for their advantage. Our goal is to reduce the statistics that
plague this age group of our children. We will do this by educating them on the following dilemmas that causes the
highest teenage crash factors, such as:
Poor hazard detection - The ability to detect hazards in the driving environment depends upon gathering
skills and this takes time for young novice drivers to acquire.
Low risk perception - Risk perception involves subjectively assessing the degree of threat posed by a
hazard and one's ability to deal with the threat. Young novice drivers tend to underestimate the crash risk in
hazardous situations and overestimate their ability to avoid the threats they identify.
Risk Taking - Teenagers tend to take more risks while driving partly due to their overconfidence in their
driving abilities. Young novice drivers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors like speeding, tailgating,
running red lights, violating traffic signs and signals, making illegal turns, passing dangerously, and failure
to yield to pedestrians.
Not wearing seat belts - Teenagers tend to wear safety belts less often than older drivers.
Lack of skill - Novice teenage drivers have not yet completely mastered basic vehicle handling skills and
safe-driving knowledge they need to drive safely.
Alcohol and drugs - Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is a common cause of serious crashes,
especially fatal ones, involving teenage drivers.
Carrying passengers - For teenagers, the risk of being in a crash increases when they transport
passengers-the fatality risk of drivers aged 16-17 years is 3.6 times higher when they are driving with
passengers than when they are driving alone, and the relative risk of a fatal crash increases as the number
of passengers increases. Passengers who are age peers may distract the teen drivers and encourage them to take
more risks, especially for young males riding with young male drivers.
Night driving - The per mile crash rate for teenaged drivers is 3 times higher after 9:00 pm during the day.
This is because the task of driving at night is more difficult; they have less experience driving at night than
during the day; they are more sleep deprived, and/or because teenage recreational driving, which often involves
alcohol, is more likely to occur at night.
For more information on the Transportation Program or any other ASCC Program, please contact us at 615-283-3013
or email us at
info@ashleyschildren.org
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