2. As a class, read and discuss "A Parental Black Box For Young Drivers," focusing on the following questions:
a. What products does Larry Selditz sell, and what new product will his company begin selling this fall?
b. What do these devices track?
c. Where does this device plug into on a car? Will these devices work on all cars?
d. What does test driver Nikki Gibeaut compare the device to?
e. What is it like to drive with one of these devices in the car, according to the article?
f. How do drivers change the way they drive when using the device?
g. How is the information recorded by the device be read by an inquisitive parent?
h. What advances to this technology will bee introduced next year?

3. Explain to the class that they will be researching safe driving methods on the Internet, then collectively writing and illustrating a manual of safe driving for teenagers. Divide the class into six groups, and assign to each group a different chapter of the driving manual. Questions for each group should include (but not limited to) the following (written on the board or copied for easier student access:)

Group 1: Teen Driving Facts
--How many teen drivers die in car crashes each year?
--What are the major causes of teen driving accidents?
--What are some ways these accidents could be avoided?
--What are typical insurance rates for teen drivers in your state? Why are these rates higher than they are for older drivers?
--How does the use of safety equipment and technology, such as seat belts and black boxes, reduce the risk of accidents?

Group 2: Safe Driving in Town
--What tips and cautions would you recommend to drivers in busy downtown traffic?
--What precautions should drivers take in school zones and work zones?
--What are some tips for making parallel parking easier?
--How should a driver park on a hill?
--What future technologies promise to make railroad crossings safer?

Group 3: Safe Highway Driving
--What tips and cautions would you recommend to drivers in fast-moving highway traffic?
--What technologies, such as barriers, crash cusions and roadside sensors promise to make highway travel safer?
--What procedures should a driver take to safely pass a slower moving vehicle?
--What is a "blind spot" and what driving situations make these especially dangerous? What procedures and technologies would help a driver see around them?

Group 4: Safe Driving in Bad Weather
--What are some weather conditions that make driving particularly dangerous?
--What tips and cautions would you recommend to drivers in each of these driving conditions?
--What safety checks of a vehicle's tires, brakes, windshield wipers, etc. should a driver make? How often should these checks be made and what should a person look for to ensure safety?
--How do anti-lock brakes prevent this, and how should a driver use them in wet, icy, and snowy weather?

Group 5: Safe Driving at Night
--Why is driving at night particularly dangerous for inexperienced drivers?
--What tips and cautions would you recommend to teen drivers at night?
--When should a driver use high beams and low beams?
--What technologies are useful for improving driving safety at night and other situations when it's particularly hard to see?

Group 6: Traffic Violations
--If you are pulled over by a police officer for a traffic violation, what is the officer likely to ask you to do?
--What can and can't a police officer require you to do? For example, if a police officer asks you to get out of the car, are you within your rights to refuse? What if the officer asks you to open the trunk, walk a straight line, take a breath test, take a blood test, or come to the nearest police station?
--What can you do to put a police officer at ease when he or she approaches your car after pulling you over?
--What is blood alcohol level, and what devices do police officer use to check this in suspected drunk drivers?

Allow students to finish their chapters, then "publish" the collected work in a bound volume or exhibit. Ask students to write a creative title and chapter headings and to submit drawings, charts, copies of photos and other graphic elements to illustrate the manual in order to make it as appealing and instructive to other teens as possible. Also encourage students to contact driver educators, local law enforcement agencies, and insurance companies for a "professional review" and to provide supplemental information to summarize in the chapters or attach as an appendix. Display the finished manual in the library or on the walls in the classroom or school.

4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Each student writes a reflective essay, responding to the following prompt (written on the board for students to copy before leaving class): "In the related New York Times article, Nikki Gibeaut's mother says of using the black box in her teenager's car: 'It's not snooping. It's just being a responsible parent.' Based on what you have learned about the dangers of driving and the complexity of safe driving procedures for teens, do you agree with Nikki's mother? Why or why not? If a global positioning system were added to the black box, do you think it would become less of a safety device and more of an invasion of privacy? Why or why not?"

1. Research global positioning systems (GPS) and create a "How It Works" poster. What are the benefits of this technology? How could the technology be used to track a person's movements?

2. Create a survey of questions exploring the tension between privacy and safety when monitoring teen behavior, then interview parents and students about. How do respondents feel about products such as a GPS Child Locator Watch (http://safetyandsecuritycenter.com/safetyandsecuritycenter/gpschillocwa.html.) Would an adult insisting on the use such a product be an example of safe parenting or a violation of the child's privacy? What behaviors do respondents find risky? Which behaviors require monitoring or supervision? Write an article summarizing your findings.

3. Research the safety risks of driving while talking on a cell phone, and create an informational poster that compares and contrasts the use of cell phones in cars with and without headsets. What features should a buyer look when choosing an effective headset?

4. What is "road rage"? Create a public service announcement for television or radio that dramatizes road rage for teens and presents ways that teenagers can learn to cope with road rage from others or prevent road rage for themselves.

Interdisciplinary Connections:
Civics- Research "graduated licensing systems." Does your state or country require "rookie" drivers to pass a graduated series of licensing exams and provisional terms? Do you think a graduated system is an effective way to "season" inexperienced drivers? Why or why not? Write an editorial that argues for or against the implementation of these laws.

Fine Arts- Write and perform a skit that dramatizes the dangers of driving for teens. How will you make the voices of your characters believable? What narrative elements will create tension? How will this tension be resolved?

Media Studies- Of the total number of teen driving fatalities last year, what percentage was caused by a drunk driver? How many teen drivers in these accidents were the drunk ones? Create the storyboards for television ad that would effectively dissuade other teenagers from drinking and driving. What ads have you seen that address this topic? Which ones do you think were most effective? What types of images and messages do you think would be persuasive to other teenagers?

Other Information on the Web
Road Safety International: Teen Driver Program (http://www.roadsafety.com/Teen_Driver.htm) sells the black boxes discussed in the article, as well as provides useful information and tips for teens and parents.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/), Drivers.com: Safety Information (http://www.drivers.com/Top_Safety.html) and the AAA Foundation for Driver Safety (http://www.aaafoundation.org/home/) provide a large number of related articles.

Academic Content Standards:
This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 2nd Edition and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.

In addition, this lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards of a specific state. Links are provided where available from each McREL standard to the Achieve website containing state standards for over 40 states. The state standards are from Achieve's National Standards Clearinghouse and have been provided courtesy of Achieve, Inc. in Cambridge Massachusetts and Washington, DC.

Grades 6-8
Technology Standard 3- Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual. Benchmark: Knows ways in which technology and society influence one another
Health Standard 7- Knows how to maintain and promote personal health. Benchmarks: Knows personal health strengths and risks (e.g., results of a personal health assessment); Knows how positive health practices and appropriate health care can help to reduce health risks; Knows strategies and skills that are used to attain personal health goals
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes persuasive compositions
Connect to State Standard
Language Arts Standard 4- Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Uses a variety of resource materials to gather information for research topics; Determines the appropriateness of an information source for a research topic
Connect to State Standard

Grades 9-12
Technology Standard 3- Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual. Benchmarks: Knows ways in which social and economic forces influence which technologies will be developed and used; Knows that alternatives, risks, costs, and benefits must be considered when deciding on proposals to introduce new technologies or to curtail existing ones; Knows examples of advanced and emerging technologies and how they could impact society
Health Standard 7- Knows how to maintain and promote personal health. Benchmarks: Knows how personal behaviors relate to health and well-being and how these behaviors can be modified if necessary to promote achievement of health goals throughout life; Understands the short- and long-term consequences of safe, risky, and harmful behaviors
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes persuasive compositions that evaluate, interpret, and speculate about problems/solutions and causes and effects
Connect to State Standard
Language Arts Standard 4- Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Uses a variety of news sources to gather information for research topics; Determines the validity and reliability of primary and secondary source information and uses information accordingly in reporting on a research topic
Connect to State Standard

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