All right on the road

Raon on Sunday,August 26, 2007

All right on the road

By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-telegram Staff

It's the symbolic end of summer, it's the magic day when white is no longer acceptable to wear — and it's the day many motorists crowd the roads on their way to celebrate the Labor Day holiday.

With more vehicles on the road, motorists face an increased risk of a fatal accident.

From 1996 to 2005, 99 people were killed in Wisconsin during the long Labor Day weekends, the state Department of Transportation reports. Over those 10 years, an average of 10 fatal accidents happened annually on the holiday weekend.

"Any time there is a holiday, there is a risk," Eau Claire County Sheriff's Department Capt. Jeff Pettis said.

The main contributor to fatal accidents is diverted attention, Pettis said. On the way to holiday celebrations, drivers easily can be distracted, thinking about how to get there and the activities scheduled, as well as chatting on cell phones or to passengers.

On the way home other risks surface. Often drivers leave late in the night, some possibly after drinking alcohol. Drivers likely will be tired. They can get relaxed manning the vehicle, and attention can shift from the road. And there are many other drivers who are in similar conditions, increasing the chances of an accident, Pettis said.

"People will have stayed late and are get eager to get home," he said. "Any time we start rushing, we miss things."

But accidents aren't limited to holidays.

In 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 801 people were killed and 53,462 were injured in the state's 125,174 reported traffic accidents, says the state Department of Transportation. The graphic at right only shows the number of accidents where safety equipment usage was recorded.

Let's navigate through an accident, including who's likely to cause one, the price that driver will pay and ways to stay safe on the road.

Demographic disparities

In Wisconsin, there were 307 accidents in which male drivers were killed in 2005; nearly a third were between the ages 16 and 24, according to the DOT. Comparatively, a fifth of women in the same age group constituted the 147 deaths of female drivers.

Police recognize the gender differences. "Men tend to be riskier," Pettis said.

He also noted men are issued more operating-while-intoxicated citations and are involved in more single-vehicle accidents than women are.

But men aren't causing all the accidents. DOT statistics show 17,245 female drivers were involved in crashes resulting in injuries in 2005, 654 more than the 16,591 male drivers. However, the statistics do not show which gender driver was at fault.

Despite young drivers being involved in so many fatal accidents, Jackie Faanes said she wasn't too worried about the statistics being stacked against boys when her 16-year-old son Jake got his license in October.

"I was kind of nervous," the Eau Claire mother said, "but I didn't feel too bad."

At the same time, Jake's driving made her life easier because he could share the responsibility of towing himself and his younger siblings, Megan, 15, and Kevin, 12, to sports practices.

Jake said he doesn't mind occasionally driving to practices or picking up groceries for his mom. While it's not his favorite aspect of driving, he said, "I guess I'd take that over not driving at all."

Driving allows him more independence. "The best part is I don't have to wait around for rides," he said.

Patti and Mick McLaughlin of Eau Claire are facing what some parents might consider their worst nightmare. Their twin sons, Shayne and Aarin, 15, will get their licences soon, and the boys' younger brother Tye, 12, is not far behind.

However, Patti McLaughlin believes her sons are prepared to handle a vehicle.

"I know my kids," she said. "They understand the reality and dangers in driving ... they know it's a privilege and not a right."

She views getting behind the wheel as a milestone in her children's lives. Her sons agree.

"I guess it's kind of exciting," Shayne McLaughlin said.

Aarin McLaughlin also looks forward to getting his license, but he's concerned about being distracted.

"I'm nervous about everything that's going on around (me on the road) at the same time," he said.

In an effort to reduce accidents and deaths among teen drivers, Wisconsin legislators passed a graduated drivers license law in 1999. After teens spend at least six months with their instructional permits, they can apply for a probationary license. It places restrictions on drivers for about three years before they get their regular license.

"It's a good thing to limit who we drive with because there are pressures with friends in the car," Aarin McLaughlin said.

Jake Faanes, who has been driving solo since October 2006, said having restrictions was a nuisance at first, but said he understands the reasoning behind the law.

"It was a pain in the beginning," he said. "But it's probably a good deal — less accidents and tickets are good."

The probationary license requires drivers to have no moving traffic violations resulting in a conviction for six months beforehand. The license also restricts who, and how many passengers, can ride with the driver.

Demerit points double during this period.

Coverage costs

With two young men strapping on seat belts behind the steering wheel, Patti McLaughlin said she wasn't sure if her 15 1/2-year-old sons will have a vehicle wrapped in a big, red bow on their sweet 16th birthday. Insurance rates will be high, and they need to prove they deserve a car before they get one, she said.

Because young men are involved in more fatal accidents, insurance companies consider the age and gender of drivers to determine their rates.

"If there's a young male in the car, it's more likely an accident will happen," said Kelly Savage, a representative of State Farm Insurance Cos.

Age and gender are only part of the insurance rate equation. Insurance companies also look at claims history: the number of claims filed, whose fault an accident is, where a person drives, the individual's driving record and credit and the other potential drivers listed on the same policy.

Claims history and driving records hold the most weight in setting rates, Savage said — which hits new drivers hard.

Young drivers don't have a driving record. Because State Farm has little information about the driving habits of the freshly licensed drivers, their rates are higher, she said.

Progressive Auto Insurance representative Leah Knapp added, "Younger, and older, drivers typically have the most car crashes, which may result in them paying higher rates."

Parents weigh other factors when buying a car for their teens.

In buying Jake a car, the Faaneses considered his driving experience, as well as the costs and practicality of different vehicles.

Already owning two Suburbans to tote the family of five, the Faaneses opted to get Jake a compact car, a 2001 Saturn Ion.

"We didn't really need another big car," Jackie Faanes said.

They also waited until the snowy weather months passed to get Jake a car.

"All of his drive times were pre-winter," she said. "We thought we'd just wait."

Drop to the shop

Fixing a car is another accident expense.

Dave Savage, general manager of Superior Auto Body, 301 N. Farwell St., spends his days fixing damaged cars.

Dave Savage, no relation to Kelly Savage, said the most common accident he sees is drivers not paying attention and ramming into each other in parking lots. He also fixes many fender benders, in which drivers bump into another vehicle on the road.

The average repair, he said, costs about $2,100, with about 55 percent paying for the labor. The $2,100 would cover fixing a bumper, headlights and hood, for example.

"It doesn't take much to add up to $2,100," Dave Savage said.

Many cars won't even get repaired, he said, because they are considered "totaled" — meaning the value of the car is less than the cost to repair it. If labeled as totaled, insurance companies won't pay for the fix.

"In the past five years, there have been more totaled cars because people are holding onto cars longer," he said. "It doesn't take much for an older vehicle to be totaled."

As people head out on Labor Day, Capt. Pettis offers these safety tips for the road: Plan your trip. Take your time. Use safety equipment. And don't drink and drive.

Schmidt can be reached at 833-9203, 800-236-7077 or keighla.schmidt@ecpc.com.

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