Pocono News Section

I-Team Safe Drivers

I-Team Safe Drivers - Monday, February 4, 2008 at 5:52PM EST

Monday, Feb 4, 2008 @05:52pm EST
Different drivers, different ages, each with different opinions.

The I-Team talked with a 90 year old, a 17 year old, and a grand daughter/grandfather combination, ages 71 and 17.
We took a ride with every one, to see how they drive, and hear their opinions.

We start with 90 year old Carolyn Colo of Dunmore.

For years, she's driven through her neighborhood, meeting friends for lunch, or picking them up for church.

She started driving at age 34. "Years ago, when we were driving, there was courtesy on the road. Today, very little courtesy."

PennDOT statistics say her age group is responsible for more than 79 hundred accidents. Compare that to a 17 year old, her group causes more accidents, but also has 500 thousand more licensed drivers.

Carolyn seemed to drive safely. She has opinions on younger drivers. "The elderly driver has to be more watchful, more careful because you can't trust the younger drivers."

Next up is 17 year old Stephanie Godin of Dorrance. She hits the road a bit differently.

"I drive with my friends a lot and they can be very distracting. They want to hear the music loud, they want to scream, and they want to talk about things."

Statistics show her age group causes the second most accidents in Pennsylvania.

She's never been in an accident, but does something younger people are prone to do...Use the phone behind the wheel.

Despite young driver distractions, Godin says she meets challenges when sharing the road with the elderly. "I think some drivers that are older should not be on the road. No offense."

Now it's time for the grand daughter/grandfather combo. We'll start with 71 year old frank Cerreta of Hanover.

A lot has changed since he started driving more than 50 years ago. "I remember years ago when we first had cars, we didn't have turn signals. You had to stick your hand out the window to tell people where you're going."

PennDOT says mature drivers like Cerreta sometimes run into problems because of deteriorating health.

Cerrata admits, drivers his age lose a step, but he has way of rationalizing... "I guess they do, but if I'm driving as fast as when I was younger, I guess it evens out."

Frank helped teach his grand daughter, Jessica, how to drive She has noticed something about older drivers. "They seem to go like really slow, or stop unexpectedly sometimes."

Jessica says she feels safe driving the same roads as the elderly, even driving with people like her grandfather.

But says there are differences "Like, just today, an older person cut in front of me. And it seems like they aren't as alert as when they were younger."

All four drivers The I-Team talked with had great driving records, with 1 or no accidents.

PennDOT says the likelihood of an accident decreases with age.

Our interviews showed safe drivers can come at every age.