http://nukecops.com/article214.html
DK
Posted on 11/12/2005 5:38:47 AM PST by ShadowDancer
Rescue 4 Investigates Driver's Ed After Teen Crash
Teenager Speaks About Crash That Killed Best Friend
POSTED: 4:27 pm EST November 11, 2005
A teenage girl spoke for the first time to Local 4 about a crash that claimed her best friend's life. Rescue 4 exposed a missing component in driver's education that may have made a difference in the fatal crash.
The accident occurred along Interstate 75. No drugs, alcohol or excessive speeds were involved, Rescue 4 reported. Investigators cited the main problem as inexperience.
Rescue 4 questioned whether state driver's education classes are teaching enough.
"I blame myself. There is no way of getting around that. It was my fault. I was the driver," said Vitana Passalacqua.
Passalacqua (pictured, right) recently spoke about the tragedy that occurred a year ago with Rescue 4.
"If I had known what I know now, I think I would have been able to save my best friend," said Passalacqua.
On Dec. 26, Passalacqua and her best friend, Marissa DiStefano, 15, headed to Mount Holly to go snowboarding. The weather was perfect, but then things took a turn for the worse when the girls drove home on Interstate 75 in the family's Hummer, Rescue 4 reported. Passalacqua was behind the wheel.
Police said it appeared the driver hit an ice patch.
Passalacqua said she pumped the brakes, lost control, and the Hummer flipped. Twisted metal, broken glass, and inches away, her best friend, DiStefano, was dead, Rescue 4 reported.
"I have full responsibility for whatever happened. And I do get down on myself a lot," said Passalacqua. "I have moments when I'm alone where I start crying."
Investigators said no alcohol or drugs were involved in the fatal accident. Passalacqua faced a charge of vehicular homicide, which was later dismissed. But her probation officer wanted Passalacqua to learn a valuable lesson, so she required her to take defensive driving classes, which changed her life.
"It's just being inexperienced, not knowing how to handle emergencies, changes on the road," said Kathy Cojanu, Passalacqua's probation officer.
The only problem was that no defensive driving classes were offered in the state of Michigan, Rescue 4 reported. Classes were offered to drive trucks defensively, but nothing offered for car drivers, Rescue 4 reported.
Passalacqua ended up at Mid-Ohio School in Dublin, Ohio, about three and a half hours south of Detroit.
"I hate to say it, but driver ed training in this country is not even close to being up to par. They don't teach anything about how to get yourself out of a situation," said Billy Edwards of Mid-Ohio School.
The school has a combination of classroom training and real-life behind-the-wheel experience.
Teenage metro Detroiters travel all the way here just because their parents want them to be better drivers, and because defensive driving classes are not offered in Michigan, Rescue 4 reported.
"I would recommend this to every kid I know," said Jamie Miennillif of West Bloomfield.
Students learn how to handle a skid and spinout; how to brake properly; how to gain control of their car; lessons not learned in driver's education, Rescue 4 reported.
After taking the class, Passalacqua learned what she did wrong the night her best friend died.
"I was supposed to slam on the brakes instead of pumping them. That's what caused my car to spinout," said Passalacqua.
Passalacqua had anti-lock brakes, investigators believe pumping them caused the spinout, Rescue 4 reported. If the teenager had that knowledge and behind-the-wheel training, she believes her friend may be alive today, Rescue 4 reported.
"If I had known what I know now, I think I would have had a chance to save my best friend. And I would like to show them that this class is the real thing. This class could save somebody's life," said Passalacqua.
Passalacqua has spent countless hours traveling to schools and universities to share her story with young people. She and her mother are also working with State Rep. Ed Gaffney to push for legislation that would require teenagers to take defensive-driving training before they get a driver's license, Rescue 4 reported. Gaffney told Rescue 4 that he is very interested in the issue.
That used to be the way things were taught, now a days with anti-skid systems, the alternative is a constant application of the brakes and the antiskid system will control the braking.
I don't know about you, but I prefer to use what has been tried and true rather than rely on a system that may or may not work (ABS systems).
WTF? How about easing up on the accelerator? Who's training the trainers?
I start teaching my kids defensive driving when they are little and intensify as they get near driving age. Its something a parent should do while he drives explaining to the child what dangers he sees and what precautions he is taking.
It also helps boredom.
Yes. That struck me as the real problem. Good heavens, there are too many things to go wrong in letting little girls drive in a monster vehicle like that.
Exactly! She went to Dublin, Ohio to learn this??? I learned how to drive near there in the snow and ice ...and you NEVER slam on your brakes AT ALL! First, if you feel yourself slipping...don't touch the brakes at all if you can help it. Turn INTO the skid...and either engine-down to a lower gear OR slowly touch the brakes!
Age was not a factor. I live in Washington and on a good year we get three good snow storms. It takes three snow days for the morons to realize they couldn't drive in it last year, and even with a 4 wheel drive they still can't drive in it. Ask any tow truck driver.
Go slow.
Practice skidding, in a safe place.
Leave much more room to anticipate.
Poor girl, driving is a skill, and it takes five years to develope habits good or bad. 16 and snow is not a good thing.
DK
I think there is an idea out there by many parents that a big car is safer than a small one...hence, the parents probably thought she would be safer in the Hummer. That being said...obviously she had not had "winter" driving experience and the parents should have driven with her more under those conditions, in that car.
In our state, one of the requirements of a driver's license is an affadavit from the parents stating that they have driven or another adult has driven with and observed the teenager driving for at least 50 hours, some of those hours, must be nighttime hours.
From the time my kid got his restricted license, I don't think we ever drove anyplace that he didn't drive, at least part of the trip, and as he gained experience, he became the full-time driver, whenever he was in the car.
Having a parent beside you to point out "defensive driving" skills is invaluable.
I also agree about the car issue. Chief in our concerns was finding a car that was big enough to be safe, but not too big that if the kid had an accident he would do lots of damage to the other cars involved.
If you hit a ice patch in the wrong situation you're going to be in trouble no matter how much training you have.
I had plenty of experience learning how to handle a car on wet pavement when I was a teenager (trying to do "Rockford Files" and other spinouts). Other than not panicking, there's no a whole lot you can do on slick ice when there's absolutely no traction.
My dad did the same thing, and it is good practice to learn how to handle a car in snow. My dad taught all four of us to drive and did it well - school parking lots, standard and automatic, even did things to startle us so we would have to react. We grew up in snowy PA so we had to know how to drive defensively.
My first year driving in the snow, as we were arriving at church for Wed night bible study, I slid down a slight hill in the parking lot and put a fender-corner sized hole in the church's shed, much to the amusement of my older brothers. My dad said don't worry about it, trying to calm the mortified new driver, but my brothers gleefully ran into the church to tell the youth group what I had done.
Then the following Saturday a bunch of kids doing donuts flattened the already damaged shed, so on Sunday, everyone thought that I had absolutely leveled it the previous Wednesday. And of course my brothers did nothing to alter anyone's misconceptions and alleviate my humiliation.
Just thought I'd share that, Pete, because until reading your post, I had completely forgotten about that incident. I think I'll have to give my brothers a call today...
Washington has "black ice" , looks like pavement and water, but it's ice. It hides on bridges, overpasses, or anywhere else that cools faster than normal pavement.
Slow speeds means the bad stuff is less likely to happen. Sorry, but you cracked me up with the wet pavement thing. We have wet pavement much of the year...we don't tan in Washington, we rust.
DK
People assume SUVs and Hummers are 'perfect' in any driving condition. Obviously they aren't and driver's ed instructors should point this out. (Most of the instructors I have seen are bottom of the barrel, however.) But the TV ads show these things performing driving miracles and no one reads the fine print: "Stunts performed by professional drivers. Don't try this at home, you morons! Although we want you to think you can get away with this so we can sell you this cool car, you can't and we are NOT responsible if you kill someone. Check with your lawyer."
Know it well. I lived in Redmond, WA from 1989 to 1996. There was so much dew that it was effectively an light icestorm every night! Made it fun driving to work in a rear wheel drive, turbocharged sports car...
ANY place that has ice can have black ice.
So you are personally acquainted with the Washington morons that think buying a 4 wheel drive will solve their snow driving problems!
My 911 was the BEST snow car.
But I like my 4WD truck.
DK
http://nukecops.com/article214.html
DK
That is one of the risks of driving a front wheel drive vehicle. The engine causes a braking action that will make the tires slide on ice.
The only way to recover is to put it in neutral and stay off the brakes. When tires slide, they have no steering control. When they are rolling, they have some control.
It can be the same with rear wheel drive, but is more dangerous with front wheel drive.
Shifting to a lower gear is a sure way to lose control on ice.
It will make the tires slide and lose traction. You should lock out your overdrive so the car is less likely to shift down by its self.
My Michigan Senator is submitting a bill (at my suggestion) to allow parents to use a number of tried and true home education curricula to teach their kids how to drive. Most of us are doing it anyway. Unfortunately, my oldest will have to take regular drivers ed before this becomes law.
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