Portland, Tennessee Blog

I too have seen many tail-gaters on college st. prior to and after school. I purposely slow to a crawl and let them pass, if they choose. I think driver's ed is a possible solution. Parents who take the time to teach their teens is better. Driving is a "privelige, not a right". That is one of the first things my father taught me. He also taught me, if caught driving in an unsafe manner, his right to the keys of that car would be exercised.

I don't understand why anyone in this world would not want their children to learn how to drive. I grew up in a different state, and you had to take a two week course before you could take your test. It has been more the helpful even after all these years I still use the skills I was taught back then. Yet, I have read what you all are saying, but I do have to disagree with you on one thing, it's not just the kids. I have seen grown men and women not using their turn signals, tailgating, not yeilding when they are suppose to, driving way to fast through a parking lot, I mean, you can get killed in Food Lions parking lot. I agree, we need to educate the young drivers, and they need to teach their parents on how to drive. I love this town, I've lived here for 15 years and it's my home now. We have one of the best intersections I've ever seen (hwy 109 and hwy 52), yet, since most people out there are uneducated in driving, it's the worst. I can't count how many times I've almost been in a wreck. What can we do about forcing drivers education here? I'm not sure where to start, but I'm willing to help if someone will point me in the right direction.

All I'd like to add is that I took my kids to and from the high school over a period of six years. I thank God that I no longer have a reason to go near there. The new high school is in a good location, and there is lots of room to grow as the needs of Portland change, but I do feel that the overall traffic situation needs to be re-evaluated.

It's not just teenage drivers that are a problem by the high school. Ask the bus drivers how long they have to wait at the end of Searcy Lane to turn left onto Hwy. 52. A light there would make the intersection much, much safer. And at the other end of Searcy, at College Street, a simple 4-way stop would make the traffic flow much better. It is impossible during the 15 minutes before or after school to make a left turn at this intersection. Perhaps the police department could offer some assistance at peak times of the day. I hope we don't have to lose more young adults before the situation is changed.

I completely agree with both of you! I was only mentioning teenagers since the original poster had this post titled "youth". But since we are on the subject of elderly drivers...I was VERY disappointed by the PD a few years ago when we were in a car accident caused by an 73 yr old lady. We were pulling out of the everygreen sub. on college, we stopped at the stop sign and a towncar was a coming quite a ways up the road on our left(in front of the church,for those of you who know what road I'm talking about) we had plenty of time to pull and did so.before we pulled out my husband had his wheels turned to go right and I reminded him we needed to go the other way, between the time my husband turned his wheel and started in the far hand lane, the lady hit us head on..she had gone into our lane! We could not figure out what in the heck had happened since I knew we had plenty of time to pull out and when we get out of the car (thankfully everyone was okay) and the cops arrive, she tells the cops she thought "we were in her lane waiting on her to go by so she sped up & went into the other lane to go around us" does that make any sense to anyone? who in the world stops in the middle of the road to let a car go by in the wrong lane?? the police ruled the accident as my husband's fault for a pull out! It did not make any sense to me and police acted like she did the right thing! It was completely mind boggling to me why anyone would speed up to go around someone that is pulling out. Ugh. Okay..I'm done ranting :)

I somewhat agree with you Daniel. I don't think you should be tested every 5-7 years, instead I think when you turn 60-62 you should be tested every 2 years. I have had more near accidents with the elderly than I have with teenagers. I have almost been run over by people driving and talking on cell phones. They just were not paying attention. It should be against the law to operate a vehicle while talking on a cell phone in ALL states.

No offense, but older people drive just as bad as teenagers, some times worse. We should all be retested for our license every 5-7 years, driving while using a cell phone should be a crime.

DMB, I have been there picking up my BIL & SIL occasionally and have almost been hit by many students! They fly through the parking lot like no one else is there and run the stop signs on College & Sircy! I wish the school police would be a little more involved in the parking lot, it is a scary place!

I found a news report on a website about a Hamilton County School down near Chattanooga that is attempting to bring back Drivers Ed into their high school. A link to the report is copied below.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/features/schoolpatrol.cfm?sid=3413

It appears that Portland isn't the only school with teen driving issues.

If you want a real eye-opener and lots of gray hair, just sit in the high school parking lot right before school and right after school and you'll see how irresponsibly a LOT of these kids drive.

I would love to hear how others have resolved this issue. Believe it or not, there are young people out there who are not really anxious to drive a car; who are not nearly as ready to get behind the wheel as I was at 16!

I know of one young lady who is already in college, but hasn't got a driver's license yet. She unfortunately was one of those who attended one funeral after another of her middle and high school friends, and as a result, is fearful of driving a car. I suppose she will have to pay the big bucks for a driver's education course at some point.

I'm sure the insurance for a Driver's Ed course is out of sight for school systems to provide. Any comments from the insurance people on options or ways that this service could be made available to the schools? That would be a tremendous asset to the curriculum at PHS!

I'm not up on the laws in Tenn. But here in Texas 16 yr olds are required to have a licensed driver 18 or older with them when they drive. If they get a ticket before 18 they lose their license till they turn 18. The cost of the driving schools here in D/FW area range $300-450. I'm doing a home school version for my soon to be 16 yr old. It requires more driving time than a regular school but it's a lot cheaper (about $180). I will also know he has been taught correctly how to drive.
I was one of the lucky ones. I got my license at the age of 16 in Germany. The test (written) and driving there is much different than here in the States.

I attended a funerals for the children who were in the deadly wreck on Jerringan Rd.(i believe that is the name of the road)I went with my SIL for support,but after sitting there surrounded by hysterical young kids & her sobbing,grieving family..I was almost needed some support myself! It was so incredibly overwhelming to grasp what had happened to this poor 14 year old girl and to know there were 4 other familes going through the same thing, it just didn't seem fair! The driver of that car was estimated going over 100mph. on a very narrow,country road. If i'm not mistaken, he had 4 other kids in the car with him, I believe that is also a HUGE problem. For some reason, when teenagers get with friends they don't grow-up,they seem to resort back to being 2 year olds that don't think of the results their actions will hold, so they take chances. Deadly chances,speeding,running red lights,running stop signs,illegal passing,ect.,just to be "cool" and "entertaining". I think that should be a red flag to parents, the more people that are in the car, the more influences they have, and teenage judgement is not always too bright, if you have 5 of them making dumb decisions,it probably won't end well. When my son starts driving (granted,he is only 2..but it will come one day!) he will not be allowed to be the carpool driver of a bunch of 16 year olds! and he won't be allowed to be apart of those jam-packed joy rides either. I think parents should limit and KNOW who is riding with their kids and who their kids ride with! The schools should also enforce this! If a kid pulls up at the school parking lot and pick ups 5 or 6 kids, chances are none of them are wearing seatbelts and will not be going for a safe ride home. It is so sad how many kids will be just another statistic for teenage deaths, something needs to be done!

Jessica - I am so glad you brought up such an important and much needed topic! I have written letters and made phone call after phone call on this topic. Your absolutely right regarding the Drivers Education course offered around here, there is only one school and it is unbelievably over priced.
I wasn't born and raised in this town so I have no idea if it has always been this way or not. As a teenager I lived in a city bigger than Nashville that didn't have even half the teenage deaths. Drivers Education was a course we were required to take in school. You had a choice, take it in the 10th grade or 11th. The class was classified in the PE division and taught by either the PE teacher or coaches. There were two parts to the class, the first semester was spent in the classroom and the second was hands on in a Drivers Ed car. It wasn't until moving here that I learned that isn't standard across the country. My daughter is now a senior at the High School here and not a year has gone by that she hasn't known or known of someone who has either died or been involved in a serious accident. In speaking with some of the teachers I am told that is not uncommon. This is heartbreaking and an epidemic that is killing our children. Why on earth would we give our children the responsibility to run a machine that can potentially kill them and others without first teaching them the proper way to use it? I have yet to receive a really good reason as to why we cant immunize our children against this epidemic with a Drivers Ed course in the schools. I just continue to wonder how many more have to die.

Jessica - Great comment, and I do agree with you that this is an area where further education would definately be in order.

Having graduated in the 70's it was offered to us as an elective in high school and I don't think there was a student that didn't take it. I think this was a class that had a tremendous impact on my life and the safe & defensive driver I have been since. * * * knock on wood, never had an accident!

My nephew is graduating this year, he's had his license for just over a year, 3 wrecks, and 1 totaled car, fortunately thank God, no injuries as they were all single car wrecks & his fault "unable to keep vehicle under control". He is now taking drivers education at his expense as is the only way mom & dad will provide him with another set of wheels!

The cost of insurance and liability was the key issue as to why eventually my school ended this much needed program, sad. And yes I also took home-ec, couldn't tell you what I learned, I think we sewed a dress, your point here was well made.

Well,I'm not really sure what type of solution I could have,but I do have a problem that I believe needs to be addressed. I may be the only one, but does anyone see the need in more driver's education for teenagers?? My brother & sister inlaw have both been students at PHS and my SIL graduated last year,and my BIL is a senior this year and it has amazed me the amount of deaths that have taken the lives of young adults in the past few years from car accidents in their classes. The sad reality is,the teenage driver was at fault in almost all of those crashes. With a child of my own, I have many fears of what will lie ahead in the years to come and I feel like too many uneducated kids are getting behind the wheel of a car and taking their friends along for the ride, which can turn deadly. I wish that PHS along with other highschools would find more of a need to educate on driving rather than home ec., I have looked into driver's ed. classes for my SIL & BIL and the prices are outrageous! Starting in the hundreds! Why doesn't our public school system provide a much needed course?? Does anyone else feel this way?