In the aftermath of the more than a dozen deaths of young people in auto accidents in Montgomery County in 2004, reporters Ken Millstone and Alex Scofield began to explore the response and reaction across many segments of the community. The purpose of this project, which encompasses most of the pages of this week’s Potomac Almanac, is to stimulate thought and awareness in order to save lives.
Among the teens killed were Sarkis Nazarian, a 16-year-old junior at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac.
Edward Steve Monterroza, 19 of Damascus and Elmer Alfredo Martinez, 18, of Wheaton died after drag racing on River Road. Earlier this month, two teenagers were seriously injured when their car spun off of Falls Road near Tuckerman Lane during the early morning hours.
In May, Walter Johnson High School junior Rod Bower died in a crash on Democracy Boulevard in Potomac, and an interview with Bower’s parents offers a painful glimpse at the loss suffered by parents and families more than six months later.
As part of the project, Millstone rides along for a weekend with the alcohol enforcement team of the Montgomery County Police, offering an up close view of the aftermath of a serious accident involving teens in Potomac, of breaking up an underage party, of spotting teenagers buying alcohol, of a drunk-driving arrest.
Scofield checks in on actions and reactions in the schools, and by parents. And he asks teens what they think could possibly help.
The project also explores proposed legislation and provides statistics that might help parents and teens limit the risks, beyond the obvious effects of alcohol and speeding.
* Many teens killed or injured in car crashes were not wearing seat belts. No matter what else is going on, buckling the seat belt can only make you safer.
* The presence of one additional passenger doubles the risk of a fatal accident for teens; the addition of two or more teen passengers raises the risk of a fatal accident five-fold.
Forty hours of driving with a parent or other adult is not enough experience to keep teens safe. The first year or the first 500 hours of driving are critical. 16-year-olds are nine times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than the driving population as a whole. The risk decreases dramatically with more experience.
— Mary Kimm and Mary Anne Weber, editors