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Summer Months are Deadliest for Teens

16 June 1999

Summer Months are Deadliest for Teens; Top Driver Challenges Driver Education Industry

    NEW YORK, June 15 -- Every 84 minutes a driver age 15 to
20 is killed in a car crash and during the summer months the number of
fatalities drastically increases. Even more staggering than these statistics
is the current state of the Driver Education industry.
    "To anyone concerned with safety," stated Sebastian Giordano, Chief
Operating Officer of Top Driver, "driver education in this country is a
failure. Unfortunately, the focus of driver 'education' has been to provide
students with the minimum requirements for getting a license, rather than an
emphasis on providing a meaningful training experience."
    Approximately 70% of high schools have dropped Driver Education from their
curriculum and some states have reduced licensing requirements to a 5-hour
class with no behind the wheel training at all.  The responsibility of
teaching new drivers is placed on commercial driving schools and parents.
Yet, most commercial driving schools lack quality standards and instructor
training programs, use outdated curriculum and train students in old, beat up
vehicles.  Who suffers?  Our children.
    "It's time for the nonsense to stop," states Giordano.  "The number of
driving related deaths has doubled in the last 20 years for 16 year olds while
the regulators have abandoned the industry and left it in the hands of
operators who are delivering a questionable product."
    "Moreover, the problem is not isolated to teens or drunk driving related
issues," Giordano continued.  "Over 11 million national auto accidents occur
each year and involve all types of drivers and vehicles.  Do we need any more
evidence to prove that present education and licensing standards do not work?"
    "While we applaud and support such initiatives as graduated licensing,
these programs are not designed to improve driving skills, curriculum or
instructor quality," Giordano added.  "They are designed to extend the time
for licensing young people.  We know that the number of accidents can be
reduced for novice drivers if we move full licensing to the age of 18.
Unfortunately, the emphasis is not on developing improved driving skills or
safety awareness, it's purely a numbers game.  This is a gamble we do not find
acceptable."
    Top Driver is taking the initiative to proactively attack this issue.  It
is on an aggressive expansion campaign to open, acquire and upgrade driver
education facilities throughout the country.  The company is injecting life
and professionalism into a dying industry by delivering a national
standardized curriculum utilizing highly trained instructors and brand new
vehicles.
    "Top Driver's mission is to develop the first fully integrated, national
driver training and education company," said Giordano.  "By providing uniform
methods of training and education that go well beyond today's accepted
standards, we will change the way people learn to drive by raising the level
of driving skills and safety awareness.  Any improvement in this area can
raise the quality of life in this country by, hopefully, reducing the number
of deaths caused by driving related accidents.  We encourage anyone in
government, the industry or the public to join us in this cause and I welcome
them to contact me personally."

    Top Driver Locations:
    -- SouthPark Center, Strongsville, OH
    -- Trumbull Shopping Park, Trumbull, CT
    -- Greenwood Park Mall, Greenwood, IND