VIDEO: UPS Road Code in Action
MANCHESTER, NH – It’s National Teen Driver Safety Week: Do you know what percentage of teenagers admit to texting while they drive?
You’d definitely know the answer (it’s 45 percent) if you were among the teens participating in the UPS Road Code Driver Safety program at the Boys & Girls Club.
The program, in its third year at the Manchester community center, has reached about 300 local teens so far, says Suzanne Giardino, a local UPS employee and program volunteer. Road Code, which models the same safety instruction UPS drivers receive, is sponsored nationally by UPS and underwritten by a grant from the UPS Foundation.
Giardino says this is the first year the Boys & Girls Club has run the program on is own, under the guidance of Teen Program Director Shirley Tomlinson and Hashira Rodriguez, of the city’s Office of Youth Services. So far so good, say the women, who have been tag-teaming the various components of the program, including the “Eight Danger Zones” that put teens at most risk, and a computerized driving simulator.
Tomlinson and Rodriguez know exactly how important programs like this can be to the kids who come through the Boys & Girls Club – they actually met here back in the day, when Tomlinson was in middle school and Rodriguez was a freshman at West High School. They became best friends, went through the Boys & Girls Club Leadership Program together, and remain huge advocates of the place that inspired both of them to stick around and give back to their community.
“I work for the city now, and I divide my time between working at Central and Memorial, but after school hours I’m out in the community, including here at the Boys & Girls Club,” explains Rodriguez, who is now an advisor, along with Tomlinson, for the Leadership Program. “It’s a great program for the kids, and we still get to work together.”
Genesis Gomez, 14, a freshman at Central High School, was taking her turn behind the wheel of the simulator Thursday evening. Other than going a little too fast in a residential area, her final driving report was glowing.
Gomez says it’s all because of practice – she’s getting better all the time at navigating the terrain, which includes maintaining her speed using a gas and brake pedal, observing speed signs, and reacting whenever a school kid walks into the roadway without looking.
“I’m getting used to it now. I know the parts where all the people pop up,” she says.
Before heading upstairs to try the simulator, several of the students played Road Code Jeopardy, which helps puts the “fun” in driving fundamentals for these future drivers.
Genesis says she thinks everyone should get behind the virtual wheel before actually hitting the road.
“I wish I could have something like this at home,” Genesis says, “It’s fun!,” adding that she’s looking forward to driving as soon as she can.
“I know I’m going to want to get a job to help out at home, and maybe even be able to drop my mom off at work,” she says.
Manuel Pichardo, 15, also a Central freshman, says he’s also learned a lot about driving through the Road Code curriculum.
“The most important thing? Not to text and drive – or drink and drive,” says Manuel. Whenever he uses the simulator he says he’s careful to stay within the speed limit – and no, he doesn’t think peer pressure will deter him from his good habits, once he’s actually driving.
“I always knew it was wrong to text and drive, but this has helped me to see how dangerous it can be,” says Manuel, who moved to Manchester two years ago from the Dominican Republic. He says he hopes to become an industrial engineer one day.
In the meantime, he’s focusing on being a safe driver.
“I always go the speed limit, and I’ll never text and drive – it’s too dangerous,” he says.
