PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT KEY TO TEACH DRIVING DETERRENT PROGRAMS ALSO SHOW DANGERS.

Byline: Judy O'Rourke Special to the Daily News

SANTA CLARITA - Thousands of Santa Clarita teenagers have been watching dramatic re-enactments of crashes, intended to drive home the danger of drinking and driving.

But some experts say a more lasting approach is for parents to spend more time with their children behind the wheel, teaching them to drive in the rain, at night and in other adverse conditions.

``I think Every 15 Minutes works for a couple of weeks, and then kids forget about the impact it has,'' said Saugus High School junior Stacie Moberly, 16.

Teens Thursday at Saugus High watched firefighters work on elaborately made-up teens in a mock crash, then heard talks from teens about what it was like to imagine themselves dead and cut off from loved ones.

``I think the crash was more fake, but I thought the speeches had a bigger impact,'' said her buddy Ashley Rimpau, 16.

The city contributes $25,000 a year to the Every 15 Minutes program - named for the frequency at which American teenagers die in drunk-driving crashes - and it also gets a boost from the California Highway Patrol and local businesses. A portion of a $5,000 state grant has been used to print brochures that promote safer driving habits.

On Friday, ground was broken in Central Park for a memorial to honor lives cut short by crashes. The memorial - which will cost about $200,000 paid for through fundraising efforts - will, some hope, provide a reminder to young people against driving recklessly.

Even the best intentions may not immunize teens from risky behavior. A recent National Institutes of Health study proposes the area in the brain that regulates risky behavior may not be fully developed until age 25.

The director of a national safety advocacy group said teenagers may vow to change their risky ways after participating in a deterrent program, but soon they forget.

``On Friday night when the windows are down, with four or five kids in the car causing distractions for the driver, (who may be) driving too fast, seat belts not on, the driver is not thinking about the deterrent or the movie he saw in driver's ed,'' said John Ulczycki, director of transportation for the National Safety Council.

From 2000 to 2004, 18 teenagers died in Santa Clarita in traffic collisions, said Barbara Mutaw, traffic secretary at the Santa Clarita sheriff's station. Alcohol played a role in three of the crashes. No teens have died this year as a result of collisions, she said.

Nationwide in the average year, teen crashes account for more than 8,000 deaths. This includes about 3,000 teen drivers, 3,000 teen passengers and about 2,000 people in other vehicles.

Ulczycki believes what works best for teens is teaching and reinforcing coping and communication skills. If all else fails, having the confidence to decline a ride is essential. Adults may sometimes forget driving competence involves more than sharp reflexes and the ability to multitask.

``When we approach an intersection, we have the perceived risk from other cars approaching, perceptions developed over many years,'' Ulczycki said. ``Teens see whether the traffic light is red, yellow or green.''

Younger drivers do not perceive driving 60 mph in a 30 mph zone in the same way adults do, he added.

Parents should allow teens to take the wheel each time the two hit the road, Ulczycki said. Night driving and bad weather conditions should be a part of the shared experience.

While only 15 percent of teenage driving miles are logged at night, 40 percent of fatal crashes occur at night.

For a teen's first 1,000 hours behind the wheel, the crash risk declines with each additional hour of experience, Ulczycki said. Parents also should be aware of other danger factors their teen drivers face, such as distractions from friends. A trio of passengers can increase the fatal crash risk by five times, Ulczycki said.

A study conducted at the University of Utah found reaction and response times were dramatically reduced when teen drivers chatted on cell phones. While law enforcement officers have stepped up enforcing seat belt laws, teens still skirt them. Kids who religiously buckle their belts when riding with their parents may skip the drill when riding alone or with friends. Nationwide studies have found 82 percent of adults buckle up, but less than 40 percent of teens do so. The best vehicles for young drivers are big, boxy and boring rides that are fairly new, but not too sporty, Ulczycki said.

Parents who allow their teens to drive SUVs should be sure they master the skills required to compensate for the higher center of gravity, he said.

``Any car a kid will want to drive fast they probably will,'' Ulczycki said.

Judy O'Rourke, [phone]

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com