Coping.org: Tools for Coping with Life's Stressors

Home
Up
Regina's Poem
Regina's Testimony
Mom's Letters
Sibling Letters
Who was Regina
One Simple Smile
Reactions
Photos
Diary Excerpts
Art Gallery
Anniversary Tribute
THINK Program

Regina Rose Byrne Memorial Site

(click on picture to enlarge)

THE THINK PROGRAM

In Memory of

Regina Rose Byrne

June 11, 1988 - December 2, 2003

 

Table of Contents:

 

 

 

Purpose and Background of THINK Program

The THINK program is aimed as helping teens to become safe passengers and drivers by making them stop to think before they get inside of any automobile.

 

Regina was a member of the Class of 2006 at Tampa Catholic High School — loved by many,
and known for her beautiful smile, her friendly heart and loving disposition. She was a member
of the Girls’ Basketball and Swim Teams at TC. Regina was a talented hunter jumper at equestrian
events, which was her passion. Most of all, she showed love to everyone and everything around
her. Whether it was a bird with a broken wing, a horse with arthritis, a shy classmate, or a friend
in need

— Regina was LOVE.
 

On December 2, 2003, Regina was killed in a car accident. One of her fellow classmates was at the
wheel; she was a passenger. Other fellow classmates were driving nearby, either in pursuit
or being pursued. No one expected what happened next, but one haunting fact remains, it
cannot be avoided and it cannot be blocked out
— Regina is DEAD!

 

…HER LEGACY
To encourage teenagers everywhere to T.H.I.N.K. before getting in the car with another teen.
LIVE to enjoy a full life, and most of all, to LOVE one another by CARING enough to T.H.I.N.K.!

 

 

 

 

THINK!

 

Before grabbing a Ride with Others...

 

THINK!

  Take time before jumping into a car driven by another teen

  Have a clear understanding of whom you are driving with

  Investigate if the person is or has been on drugs in the past month

   Name the rules of the road you expect your driver to follow

  Keep reminding your driver that your life is in his or her hands

 

 

 

 

 

National Teen Driving Statistics

  • Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers.
  • 16 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
  • It is estimated that 16-year-olds are 3 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.
  • 3,657 drivers age 15-20 died in car crashes in 2003, making up 14% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes, and 18% of all drivers involved in police-reported crashes (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
  • 25% of teen drivers killed in 2003 had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater. A BAC of .08 is the level which all states define drunk driving.
  • $40.8 billion was the estimated economic impact of auto accidents involving 15-20 year old drivers in 2002 (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
  • Inexperience behind the wheel is the leading cause of teenage crashes.
  • In 2001, two thirds of teens killed in auto accidents were not wearing seat belts.
  • Almost half of the crash deaths involving 16-year-old drivers in 2003 occurred when the beginning drivers were driving with teen passengers (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).
  • Statistics show that 16 and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).
  • 14% of all deaths due to motor vehicle accidents are a teen driver.
  • Most teen driver deaths due to motor vehicle accidents occur on weekends 53% of the time.
  • Teen drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents had a youth passenger in automobile 45% of the time.
  • Of teen drivers fatally injured in automobiles, more than 1/3 were speed related accidents.
  • Teen driver lifestyle of staying up late make teen drivers a high risk to have an automobile accident due to drowsiness.
  • More than any age group, teens are likely to be involved in a single vehicle crash.
  • On the basis of current population trends, there will be 23% more 16-20- year-old drivers on the road in 2010 than there are today -- 26.1 million.
  • This age group makes up 7% of licensed drivers, but suffers 14% of fatalities and 20% of all reported accidents.
  • The 16-year-old population alone will increase from 3.5 million to over 4 million by 2010.
  • Graduated drivers license programs appear to be making a difference. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that the overall number of 16-year-old drivers fell from 1,084 in 1993 to 938 in 2003 despite an 18% increase in the 16-year-old population.
  • Google - today's Florida teen car crash news stories

 

 

Regina Rose Byrne THINK Scholarship Program

Who is eligible?

Eighth graders who are applying for Fall 2006 admission to Tampa Catholic High School
in Tampa Florida. The first scholarship will be awarded on March 14, 2006

What is the scholarship?

The scholarship is for $1,000 for the school year FY06-07 with the possibility of renewal for the next three school years. The winner of the scholarship is then eligible for a yearly $1,000 scholarship for the sophomore, junior and senior years at Tampa Catholic as long as the scholarship winner:

  1. Has a clean driving record each year

  2. Lives by the Signed Contract with parents from the Road Ready Teen Contract: http://www.roadreadyteens.org/

  3. Maintains a minimum of a 2.8 Grade Point Average at Tampa Catholic High School.

Requirements for submittal Application for the THINK Scholarship:

  1. Complete a THINK Scholarship (Application Form  can be downloaded by clicking here) and mail it in no later than February 11, 2006.  (Application Form must be mailed to: Regina Byrne Memorial Scholarship, P.O. Box 10592, Brooksville, FL 34603 or emailed to regina@reginabyrne.org)
  2. Submit a list of key points they learned including their scores while utilizing the four sets of ELearning lessons on the http://www.realworlddriver.com/elearn_menu.asp as well as the final Quiz, using the grid below.
  3. Submit a list of key points they learned from their participation in the Nine Missions at http://streetwise.roadreadyteens.org/streetwise/default.aspx game and quizzes using the grid below.. Please Note that they may only be able to complete mission 1 and 2 and no more missions. The reality of this will be a good learning tool and they will need to list what they learned from this experience.
  4. Submit a list of key points they learned from their participation in the Road Ready Reality Check Quiz which is available at:  http://www.roadreadyteens.org/TeenQuiz/quiz.php using the grid below.
  5. Signed Contract with parents from the Road Ready Teen Contract: http://www.roadreadyteens.org/  NOTE: In order to complete steps 2 - 5, it may be helpful and expedient to complete these items at your local library if you do not have high speed internet access at home.
  6. Complete an Essay of 300-500 words on the subject of: Why Teens must THINK before Getting in a Car.
  7. The entire application packet must be mailed to: Regina Byrne Memorial Scholarship, P.O. Box 10592, Brooksville, FL 34603 no later than February 11, 2006 or emailed to regina@reginabyrne.org.

 Real World Driver Summary Report

E Learning Lesson

List of What I Learned

1.

 

2

 

3

 

4

 

Final Quiz

My Score was:

 Road Ready Missions-

How many Missions were you able to complete? _______

List of What I learned in attempting these missions:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Road Ready Reality Check Quiz

List of What I Learned from this Quiz
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Deadline for Scholarship Application

The entire application packet must be mailed to:
REGINA BYRNE MEMORIAL THINK SCHOLARSHIP
P.O. Box 10592
Brooksville, FL 34603

Or emailed to: regina@reginabyrne.org
No later than February 11, 2006



 

First Regina Rose Byrne THINK Scholarship Awarded

 

 

 

 

Regina Rose Byrne THINK Program Scholarships Contributors

To make a contribution to the Regina Rose Byrne THINK Program Scholarship send to:

Regina Byrne Memorial Scholarship Fund  

P.O. Box 10592

Brooksville, FL 34603

Please make checks payable to Lauren Byrne

(Note in memo:  The Regina Byrne Memorial Scholarship Fund)

 

Contributors to Scholarship Fund

  • Samuel Ablove

  • Andrew Anderson

  • Anonymous

  • Thomas Anyikwa

  • Carole D. Barton

  • Herbert R. Caillouet

  • Ann Cestare

  • Isabel Chiera

  • Vince Colpaert

  • Kerry Colvett

  • Crusaderettes Dance Team

  • Ralph E. Desiderio

  • Mary Beth Dillingham

  • Ernest V. Donofrio

  • Thomas Joseph Fitzgerald

  • Jeff Fleming

  • Robert Gomez

  • Cynthia Gugliemello

  • Wayne Hay

  • Charles Kirkiles

  • Richard A. Lewis

  • Jennifer Logan

  • Alfred Lombardo

  • Thomas J. Mahoney, Jr

  • Dorothy Marconi

  • Joseph Marconi

  • Debra Marcrum

  • William L. Mathiasen

  • Mathiasen Machinery

  • Michael T. McCormick

  • Dennis McSpirit

  • William E. Mellom

  • Lloyd Mishkel

  • John J. Nicholson

  • Wayne Norris

  • Michael Nungester

  • Irving Oliver

  • Juan Carlos Prado

  • Susan Peet

  • Roger Rodriguez

  • P.J. Russoniello

  • Lisa Sabatino

  • Steven Salter

  • Timothy Small

  • Bernard Smith

  • Anthony L. Urbano

  • Franklin Webb, Jr

  • Barry K. Weston

  • Timothy Wise

 

What is Graduated Drivers Licensing?

Graduated Drivers Licensing, or GDL, is a three-stage approach to granting young drivers full license privileges. Currently, 36 states have some form of GDL in place. Generally, the three stages of GDL are:

  1. Supervised learning period. A young driver, after passing a qualifying test, is granted a learner's permit. The new driver is allowed to drive only with a supervising adult in the car for a given period of time or minimum number of hours before earning an intermediate license.
  2. Intermediate license. At this stage, the driver has earned a license and no longer needs supervision to drive, but is subject to restrictions, such as a curfew, no cell phone, or the number of passengers allowed in the car. Restrictions vary from state to state.
  3. Full-Privileged license. The driver meets the age and any other requirements to earn an unrestricted drivers license. Requirements vary from state to state.

 

 

 

 

 

Graduated Drivers Licensing FAQ's

 

Q. Isn’t 50 hours of supervised driving a lot to ask of teens and parents?

A. 50 hours over six months equals just 8.3 hours per month, or a little more than 2 hours per week. New drivers need time to familiarize themselves with dozens of driving scenarios—for example rural, urban, suburban, freeways, rush hour, nighttime, dusk, rain and snow.

 

Q. Why target young drivers and not all novice drivers or elderly drivers?

A. 16-year-old drivers have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age, including older teenagers. The very youngest drivers are also more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as speeding and tailgating. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that the part of the brain that weighs risks, makes judgments and controls impulsive behavior is still developing in teens, and does not mature until about age 25. GDL introduces beginners into the driving population in a low-risk manner, protecting them and others.

 

Q. Why not just penalize the "problem" drivers?

A. The logic of addressing all young people is that they are all beginners when they start driving. Every novice needs time to develop driving skills in low risk settings.

 

Q. Does GDL work?

A. Graduated drivers license programs are reducing teen driving deaths. Decreases have been recorded in Florida and South Carolina where GDL programs began in the late 1990s. The new GDL law that went into effect in Ohio in 1998 is showing results. From 1997 to 2003, crashes for 16-year-old drivers fell 36.8 percent. Alabama's GDL law was enacted in October, 2002. By 2003, state troopers reported that crashes caused by 16-year-old drivers fell from 5,905 to 5,263; for 17-year-olds, crashes fell from 6,174 to 5,980.

 

 Websites Helpful to Conduct a THINK Program in Your School

 

 

Institute for Highway Safety Report on Graduated Drivers Licensing Program

FEWER 16 YEAR-OLDS ARE GETTING INVOLVED IN CRASHES

BIG DECLINE IN CRASH RATES OF BEGINNING DRIVERS OVER A DECADE

ARLINGTON, VA —The fatal crash rate for 16-year-old drivers declined sharply after states began enacting graduated licensing laws in the 1990s. Fatal crash involvements based on the population of 16 year-olds fell 26 percent during 1993-2003. This is the main finding of a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study. The overall number of 16-year-old drivers in fatal crashes decreased from 1,084 in 1993 to 938 in 2003, while during the same period there was an 18 percent increase in the 16-year-old population.

“This isn’t a study of graduated licensing per se. It’s a look at the status of 16 year-olds in states both with and without graduated licensing. Still, this study does reveal some very positive effects of the new licensing systems. The main reason for the decline in the crash rate is that fewer beginning drivers are getting their licenses when they turn 16,” says Susan Ferguson, Institute senior vice president for research. While the population-based ratio of fatal crash involvements declined, the 2003 rate based on the number of licensed drivers didn’t change compared with the 1993 rate. Seventy-three 16-year-old drivers per 100,000 license holders were in fatal crashes in 1993. This compares with 74 per 100,000 in 2003.

 

 

“In time we do expect to see a drop in the fatal crash rates per licensed 16-yearold driver,” Ferguson says. “This will happen if more states implement stronger restrictions on night driving and on passengers in cars with beginning drivers. A number of states don’t have these policies, and states that do often allow one or more passengers or apply the restrictions during short time periods. These restrictions are expected to have the strongest influence on fatal crashes per licensed driver. In the meantime, studies in several states that have looked at all police-reported crashes, not just fatal ones, have found significant declines per licensed driver.” Teenagers have the highest crash risk of any age group — about four times higher than for older drivers. Teenagers are more likely than older drivers to be in crashes involving driver error and speeding. “The riskiest time for teens is when they first start driving,” Ferguson points out. “The key to the effectiveness of graduated licensing is that it phases in a driver’s license over time, keeping teens in the learner phase longer and delaying a full-privilege license until beginners are older, more mature, and more experienced.” An important finding of the new Institute study is that restrictions on 16 year olds did not simply shift the crash risk to older teens. Crash rates dropped 11 percent for 17 year-olds and 6 percent for 18-19 year-olds.

One of the most dangerous scenarios is when a teenage driver transports other teens and, on a per capita basis, this kind of crash declined 39 percent during 1993-2003. Meanwhile, most other characteristics of 16 year-olds’ crashes stayed the same over time.

A full graduated licensing law has three stages. Beginners must remain in each of the first two stages for minimum time periods: supervised learner’s period; intermediate license (after the driver’s test is passed) limiting unsupervised driving in high–risk situations; and then a license with full privileges available after completing the first two stages. Key elements of the intermediate stage include limits on unsupervised driving at night and transporting teenage passengers. Certification by parents that a learner has driven a minimum number of supervised hours also is important.

“Parents are key to the success of graduated licensing,” Ferguson adds. “The laws empower parents to set down their own rules of the road and enforce them. This is especially needed because the laws in many states still aren’t strong. They don’t all have three stages of a true graduated system, and some laws that do have the stages still don’t restrict driving at night or with other teens.”

 

 http://www.highwaysafety.org/news/2005/iihs_news_022405.pdf

 


 

 

 

Coping.org is a Public Service of James J. Messina, Ph.D. & Constance M. Messina, Ph.D.,  Email: jjmess@tampabay.rr.com  ©1999-2007 James J. Messina, Ph.D. & Constance Messina, Ph.D.  Note: Original materials on this site may be reproduced for your personal, educational, or noncommercial use as long as you credit the authors and website.