Top Driver Executive Director Educates Teens to Beat Statistics

24 August 1998
Top Driver Executive Director Educates Teens to Beat Statistics; Cullinane Co-Authored Drunk Driving National Report
    NEW YORK, Aug. 24 -- The country's most unique driver
education organization vowed to meet the challenge of today's Department of
Transportation findings on driver fatalities and accident rates.  According to
William F. Cullinane, executive Director of Education and Public Affairs for
Top Driver, Inc., the statistics, although outwardly encouraging because of
the drop in alcohol-related deaths, confirm the importance of educating
drivers of all ages for safe travel on the nation's highways.  Cullinane,
former president of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD),
co-developed this year's report.
    Says Cullinane, "Too often, the public interprets a statistical drop in
automobile death numbers as something to celebrate, a problem solved.  What we
need to do instead," he continues, "is to recognize all individual deaths by
crashes, alcohol-related or from speeding and reckless driving, an increasing
statistic, as intolerable."  He notes that for any family on the sad side of
statistics, losing a beloved relative or friend, the personal impact is
100 percent.
    Cullinane prefers the word crash to accident.  "Accident infers
happenstance," he says, "and underplays human causal factors.  We realize that
driving education cannot eliminate weather conditions conducive to collisions.
However at Top Driver, in addition to helping new and experienced drivers
fine-tune their road skills, we strongly instruct them about the gamut of
driving environments and defensive approaches to weather, road conditions, and
traffic patterns.
    "We have a long way to go," Cullinane continues, "and this year's figures,
as presented by Dr. Martinez, are an excellent jump-off point."  He confirms
that teenagers at the beginning of the driving spectrum naturally are the most
vulnerable to crashing, almost 20 times more likely to be involved than the
experienced population.  Every state, he says, presents its own challenge to
educators.
    "Certain locations allow earlier permitting and licensing," he notes, "and
it might be interesting to look beyond the figures and determine the impact of
this practice.  Additionally," he notes, certain youngsters cannot cope with
the privilege, or the empowering and endangering potential offered by driving,
yet parents may feel pressured by social customs to provide car access or
ownership before responsible attitudes are ascertained."  Top Driver's
approach involves teaching proactive, defensive, and accountable driving by
combining intensive classroom instruction, interactive virtual driving, and
actual road practice.
    The company is putting together a national staff of expert instruction
professionals, all rigorously trained and familiar with Top Driver's demanding
standards.  Currently Top Driver operates driving centers in Trumbull,
Connecticut; Strongsville, Ohio; and Greenwood, Indiana.  The company plans
more than 200 U.S. facilities within the next five years.
    Cullinane's 13-year tenure with SADD was a component of more than 27 years
of educating and counseling teenagers.  His work with that organization as an
internationally recognized authority and lecturer on alcohol and drugs helped
reduce the number of drunk-driving crashes significantly.  Currently he is
part of the 2000 X 2000 program, aiming to reduce the annual number of teen
auto deaths to 2,000 by the end of the millennium.
    "We're on target, with last year's number down to 2,335 and an additional
five percent expected by year-end 1998," says Cullinane, who reiterates that
the 2,000 figure is also a jump-off point.  "Realistically, we know that we
cannot completely eliminate the possibility of death by automobile for teens,
or for adults in teen-induced crashes," he says, "but we can try our hardest,
through a nationwide education effort, to pare the numbers dramatically."  His
experience with SADD will put Top Driver's presence at the forefront of driver
education and legislative action aimed to increase driver awareness and reduce
traffic fatalities.
    Top Driver's developers called on research from the National Safety
Council and several other nationally-recognized organizations for its unique
curriculum.  These include the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the American
Driver Training Safety Education Association, and the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration.
    Top Driver is changing the way people learn to drive by providing the
highest quality driver education available today.  With plans to open more
than 200 training centers nationwide, Top Driver is revolutionizing driver
education and setting the new standard.
    Partnered with Chevrolet and MetLife Auto, the organization is the first
in the industry to bundle driver education programs, DMV services, financing
information, insurance services, automotive safety products, and driver
accessories in a single, easily accessible mall location.  For more
information, contact Top Driver at 888-TOP DRIVER, or at http://www.topdriver.com.