(West Islip, NY) Recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine have shown young inexperienced drivers who are distracted while driving by using a cellular phone or adjusting radios and controls for example, are more than 700 percent more likely to be involved in a crash. Other studies have shown the risk of being involved in a car accident is highest for drivers aged 16- to 19-year-olds than any other age group. For each mile driven, teen drivers are four times more likely than other drivers to be in an accident during the first year. These are startling statistics but unfortunately a reality.
Even a single momentary distraction while driving can cause a lifetime of devastating consequences.
There are proven methods to helping teens become safer drivers. Research suggests delaying full licensing, limiting the number of passengers in the car and restricted hours of driving, while allowing teens to get their initial driving experience under low-risk conditions.
Join Good Samaritan Hospital and the Aram Chowdhury Foundation at a free Parent/Teen Program for Driving Safety on Saturday, March 29, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at West Islip Fire Department. Registration begins at 10:00 am. Program will include hands-on demonstrations and compelling presentations about the dangers of distracted driving.
“Many teens are testing the limits instead of properly driving a car,” said Ellen Chowdhury, founder of the Aram Chowdhury Foundation. “Teen drivers’ inexperience leads to poor decision making and a greater chance of car accidents.” The Foundation came about after Dr. and Mrs. Chowdhury lost their 18-year-old son Aram, in a car accident nearly 19 years ago involving inexperienced teenagers out for a ride.
For more information, please call (631) 376-4444.
Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center is a 537-bed (including 100 nursing home beds), voluntary, not-for-profit hospital located in West Islip. The medical center, which has more than 3,500 employees and 900 physicians on staff, had nearly 28,000 patient admissions and nearly 100,000 emergency department visits in 2012. Good Samaritan is a member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island. Visit the website at www.good-samaritan-hospital.org.
The medical center supplies residents with the tools necessary to maintain good health. This includes community lectures, screenings, health fairs and other community programs and services.
