Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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Alex Cabrero reporting Some new statistics are bothering the AAA auto club of Utah. Their research shows a teenage driver is involved in a crash every 35 minutes in Utah.
Now they are trying to reduce that number.
They figured teens love movies and video games, so the AAA auto club came up with a computer DVD-ROM. It's called Drivers-ZED, and it's supposed to help teens learn to drive.
"They just overcorrected and their tail end hit the other car."
Accidents happen every day in Utah. Problem is, like a bad one in Sandy last week, many of them have one thing in common.
Sgt. Mitch Howard: "I do know they're all teenagers."
Which is where Dave Rangasan comes in. He's the owner of the Bilingual Driving School in Murray, and says teens just lack driving experience.
Dave Rangasan, Bilingual Driving School: "A lot of them come in and fail to make stops at stop signs, they roll through stop signs."
Not that all are bad, but Rolayne Fairclough with Utah's AAA auto Club says teens are four times more likely to be in a crash.
Rolayne Fairclough, AAA Utah: "The most dangerous thing a person does is turn 16. We just need to make sure they have as much experience as possible."
That's why AAA is releasing a DVD-ROM: An interactive guide designed to help teenagers get real-life experience... without being behind a real-life wheel.
Rolayne Fairclough, AAA Utah: "There are things like a child chasing a ball into the road. How often can you stage that when you're driving?"
The biggest challenge though, is peer pressure.
Dave Rangasan, Bilingual Driving School: "If you get 2 or 3 teens together, they forget to buckle up, they fail to obey the speed limit. It's just pressure."
Jacky Williams had that pressure...
Jacky Williams, Teenaged Driver: "Some friends don't listen, and they just do what they want. You tell them to calm down, and they don't."
According to AAA, a teen in Utah dies in a car crash every five days.
Copies of the DVD are at AAA clubs anywhere in Utah, as well as in high schools.
