September 21, 2012 – South Fallsburg, N.Y. – Rolling V Bus Corp and Gershowitz Transportation are proud to continue the tradition of promoting and executing its interactive classroom teen driver safety course Alive at 25 during the 2012-2013 school season.
Rolling V & Gershowitz sponsor Alive at 25 in its efforts to curb the alarming rate of teen vehicular fatalities in New York State and the country. Though individual school districts are required to set up the course at their respective high school, Rolling V is sponsoring the classes for school districts it provides transportation, and will cover the $40 course fee for students in school districts who decide to become venues for the Alive at 25 courses.
Rolling V & Gershowitz currently provide student transportation for Ellenville, Fallsburg, Liberty, Livingston Manor, Roscoe and Tri-Valley school districts.
“Teen drivers tend to severely underestimate the dangers of the road,” said Vallone. “The program is strongly emphasizing distracted driving this year, given the fact that teens represent the fastest-growing group involved in distracted driving deaths in the country. The courses we offer are critical to public safety, and could help save the lives of those that represent the future- our children.”
Research shows that the ABSOLUTE safest way for kids to get back and forth to school is on a school bus, more and more kids are driving their own cars once they come of age. This new found independence creates an added hazard on our roads.
The bus companies started the local Alive at 25 programs in 2007, following a double-fatal car crash involving two Livingston Manor teenagers- both classmates of Rolling V/Gershowitz President Phil Vallone’s sons. As a result, Rolling V started the program to provide an initiative for local schools to educate and train students who drive to school.
Alive at 25, a driver’s awareness program created by and offered through the National Safety Council, utilizes traditional classroom techniques to teach young drivers to be aware of many of the typical driving hazards facing young motorists.
The course provides important information about the dangers facing young motorists and how to remain safe on the road. This course takes place in an interactive classroom setting, and includes instructional videos and class discussion.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
- In 2007, the latest year for which data are available, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death among 13-19 year-old males and females in the United States.
- A total of 3,466 teenagers ages 13-19 died in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. This is 60 percent fewer than in 1975 and 15 percent fewer than in 2008.
- Sixty percent of teenage passenger deaths in 2009 occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager. Among deaths of passengers of all ages, 18 percent occurred when a teenager was driving.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- Teenage drivers and passengers are among those least likely to wear their seat belts.
- In 2008, 55 percent of passenger vehicles occupants ages 16-20 who were killed in crashes were not buckled up.
- In 2009, 33 percent of the young drivers (15 to 20 years old) who were killed in crashes had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher; 28 percent had a BAC of .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher.
Vallone added, “Our primary goal at Rolling V/Gershowitz has always been safety- get the kids to school safe, home safe, and do it again the next day. This supplemental program, Alive at 25, helps us move forward in achieving excellence in safety.”
Rolling V and Gershowitz are proud members of the New York School Bus Contractors Association and the American School Bus Council. The companies are family-owned and operated by the Vallone and DeSabato families. The Vallone family has been in the passenger transportation business for more than 50 years.
