It's a pretty (well, ugly!) compelling picture: the vehicle crashes involving teen drivers is sobering. In many cases, these are kids who are well-intentioned and responsible, so what gives?

Simply put, it's lack of teen driving experience. Teens just don't have enough time behind the wheel and therefore lack the tools to avoid life-threatening situations, which can arise in a split-second on our nations highways. Couple this with the normal teen feeling of immortality and the "that can't happen to me" attitude, both of which result in a serious perception problem. If the driver improperly gauges unfolding events, then there's no way he or she can take the proper evasive action. With pervasive cutbacks in the quantity and quality of driver education, the problem is only compounded. Please take a moment to peruse the sobering statistics (PDF) which put the problem into perspective.

The adoption of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) in most states has started to address the problem, but there is a long way to go. Heightened media awareness and delivery of practical solutions can address this important issue.

We believe that one componenet of an effective solution is an interactive virtual program, such as driver-ZED 3.0, that allows teens to gain hazard recognition experience in adynamic environment. In fact, Great Britain has bought into this type solution to such a degree that it mandates ZED-like computer based testing where potential licensees must pass a hazard recognition examination.

One study based on student use of ZED showed some interesting results. The most interesting was that students who received training on ZED felt that their traffic safety classes were more helpful in avoiding a crash than those that had the identical class with the identical instructor but without ZED. This feeling was supported in the crash data in teh six-month and twelve-month questionnaires.

ZED is a great supplemental tool as part of a well-rounded driver education curriculum. It can be used both in a classroom environment as well as at home. At $24.95, it's an outright bargain!

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