Page 2 August 3, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE Could Raising the Calendar of Events Mandatory Age for Drivers Training Save Lives? By Rob McCarthy If there’s a 17-year-old in the house who’s not driving yet, that’s pretty typical. More teenagers are waiting until turning 18 to get a California driver’s license, and a possible explanation is the cost of drivers training. A six-hour road course costs upwards of $400, so putting off driving is a way to detour around that cost and the restrictions on new young drivers. However, that soon could be changing because of one father’s personal loss. Jim Frazier’s eldest daughter, like so many teens today, waited for her 18th birthday to learn to drive. She was killed two years later in a head-on crash that severely injured her younger sister--an event that pushed Frazier into politics. He believes mandatory drivers training could have saved his daughter’s life, so he’s pushing California to become the third state in the nation to extend the mandatory drivers training age requirement for rookie drivers. Under his proposal, drivers up to age 21 would be required to complete the same training and abide by the same license restrictions as teens. “I lost my child in a car accident,” Frazier said. “It is one of the most important things to me that others don’t experience that horrific occurrence in their life.” An estimated one-third of California teens will wait until at least age 18 to drive, statistics show. That number has steadily dropped over the past two decades as the high schools dropped driver education. For this generation of teens, a driver’s license isn’t viewed as a necessity. While still a rite of passage, driving privileges now come with restrictions on when a teen can be out driving at night and who can be in the car as a passenger. Data shows that 17-year-old drivers are involved in fewer injury crashes than the 18-20-year-olds. The numbers are significant enough--2,200 injury crashes per year for minors vs. 4,200 for 18-year-old motorists--that state officials have called for more mandatory training beyond age 18. The crash data shows that wrecks involving 21-year-olds tail off. Assemblyman Frazier says his daughter could have used the drivers training that he’s asking other lawmakers and Governor Jerry Brown to require under the bill, which is one-third of the way toward becoming law. The Assembly approved it, and the State Senate is yet to take action. This is the second time that Frazier has pushed to raise the age for mandatory behindthe wheel training to cover 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds. Gov. Brown vetoed the first attempt in 2013 saying it was too restrictive. However, the momentum in California and nationwide has grown since then. Frazier vows his bill will reduce the number of older-teen accidents which, according to the California Department of Public Health and the CDC, are the leading cause of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths for California children ages one to 19 years old. Frazier is determined to see his public safety bill signed into law, so he removed a few restrictions this time around. The current version won’t apply to active-duty military personnel. The bill also includes school-, work- and family-necessity waivers to be flexible. Rookie drivers between 18 and 21 need only wait two months after they get their learner’s permit to get a full license, compared to the six-month wait for minors with a learner’s permit. New Jersey and Maryland have enacted similar laws to combat a rise in traffic fatalities nationwide, and the movement is gaining key support. The national Governors Highway Safety Association recommends that states require Deadline for Calendar items is the prior Thursday by noon. Calendar items are $1 per word. Email listings to marketing@heraldpublications. com. We take Visa and MasterCard. THURSDAY, AUGUST 3 • Propagation Society – Planting Seeds for the Future, 10:30 AM., Madrona Marsh Nature Center & Preserve, 3201 Plaza Del Amo, free to public, Call: 310-782-3989. • Reading By Design: Buster Balloon, 4:00 PM., free, Walteria Library, 3815 W. 242 St., Call: 310-375-8418. • Reading By Design: Annie Banannie, 2:00 PM., free, Henderson Library, 4805 Emerald St., Call: 310-371-2075. • Reading By Design: Building to the Limit, 3:30 PM., free, Katy Geissert Civic Center Library, 3301 Torrance Blvd., Call: 310- 618-5964. FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 • Free Advance Directive Workshop, 10:00 AM. – 11:00 AM., 5315 Torrance Blvd. Suite #B1, Call: 310-543-3402. • Reading By Design: Buster Balloon, 2:00 PM., free, Katy Geissert Civic Center Library, Call: 310-618-5964. • CITY HALL CLOSED – All Day. • Friday Fun for Kids, 10:00 AM. – 12:00 PM., free, Madrona Marsh Nature Center & Preserve, 3201 Plaza Del Amo, Call: 310-782-3989. • Toddlertime, 10:15 AM. & 11:00 AM., Katy Geissert Civic Center Library, Polly Watts Story Theater, 3301 Torrance Blvd, Call: 310-618-5964. SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 • Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market at Wilson Park, 8:00 AM. – 1:00 PM., 2200 Crenshaw Blvd., Between Carson St. & Sepulveda, Call: 310-781-7520. • Sister Act (Torrance Theater Company), 8:00 PM., Tickets: $35/$30, James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Call: 310-781-7171. SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 • Sister Act (Torrance Theater Company), 2:00 PM., Tickets: $35/$30, James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Call: 310-781-7171. • Mini-Train Rides (Public Run Days), 11:00 AM. – 3:00 PM., Wilson Park, 2290 Washington Ave. MONDAY, AUGUST 7 • Madrona Marsh Nature Center & Preserve - CLOSED, 3201 Plaza Del Amo. • Pajama-Rama, 6:30 PM., Walteria Library, 3815 W. 242 St., Call: 310-375-8418. • Babytime, 10:30 AM., Katy Geissert Civic Center Library, 3301 Torrance Blvd., Call: 310-618-5964. • Reading By Design: DIY Droids, 2:00 PM., Katy Geissert Civic Center Library, 3301 Torrance Blvd., 310-618-5964. TUESDAY, AUGUST 8 • Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market at Wilson Park, 8:00 AM. – 1:00 PM., 2200 Crenshaw Blvd., Between Carson St. & Sepulveda, Call: 310-781-7520. • City Council Meeting, 7:00 PM. – 9:00 PM., City Hall, Council Chamber, 3031 Torrance Blvd., Call: 310-618-2780. • Family Storytime, 10:30 AM., North Torrance Library, 3604 Artesia Blvd. Call: 310-323-7200. • Family Storytime, 10:30 AM., Henderson Library, 4805 Emerald St., Call: 310-371- 2075. • Family Storytime, 11:00 AM., Southeast Library, 23115 Arlington Ave., Call: 310- 530-5044. • Pajama-Rama, 6:30 PM., free, Katy Geissert Civic Center Library, 3301 Torrance Blvd., Call: 310-618-5964. • Artful Days: The Language of Art: How to Art Speak, 12:10 - 1:00 PM., George Nakano Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Call: 310-818-2326. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9 • Toddlertime, 11:00 AM., free, El Retiro Library, 126 Vista del Parque, Call: 310- 375-0922. • Pajama-Rama, 6:30 PM., free, Henderson Library, 4805 Emerald St., Call: 310-371- See Drivers Training, page 5 2075. • C e r t i f i e d a n d L i c e n s e d P r o f e s s i o n a l s painting RICH’S PAINTING Specializing in exterior Quality interior work Reliable • Reasonable Rates 310-640-9465 plumbing 24 Hour Service Since 1990 • Lic # 770059 • C-42 C-36 C-34 C20 A Free Estimates FULL SERVICE PLUMBING Sewer Video Inspection Rooter Service • Copper Repipes 310-543-2001 SENIOR DISCOUNTS ContraCtor Kitchen and Bathroom Specialist, Room Additions, Plumbing, Electrical, Painting we do it all with our own crew! painting PAINTERS PLUS INTERIOR • EXTERIOR PLUS IMPROVEMENTS • REPAIRS FREE ESTIMATES LOWEST PRICES • GUARANTEED QUALITY 5 YEAR FREE MAINTENANCE SERVING THE BEACH CITIES FOR OVER 20 YEARS CALL DON 310-798-0450 LIC # 726089 concrete handyman BILL’S HOME & APARTMENT MAINTENANCE CONTRACTOR QUALITY at Handyman Prices. 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