♪ "teen kids news" is on now, and here's what we've got. this is not your parents' driver's ed. fasten your seat belts. i'll have a report on an exciting program that just could save your life, and it's a lot of fun. i'll tell you the tale of a true aristocrat. prince chunk is doing a lot to help other pets across the country. in sports this week, i'll show you what yankees spring training is like. find out how a special computer helps teens talk to their doctors.

he's an explorer whose most famous discovery wasn't what he was looking for. i'll take you aboard his famous ship. and much more, next on "teen kids news." ♪ welcome to "teen kids news." i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm jessica. here's our top story for this week. >> whether you already have a driver's license or are dreaming of the day you'll get it our lead story could help save your life. experts say it's not lack of skill that causes most car crashes involving teens, but lack of experience. in this report, made possible by ford, tyler tells us about a nationwide effort to make teens safer, smarter drivers.

>> reporter: no, this is not a stunt driver. and this instructor is not going nuts. this is ford driving skills for life, a program aimed at the number one killer of teens. >> driving skills for life is a partnership between ford and the governors' highway safety association that was started in 2003. the main goal was to reduce the number of teen fatalities. unfortunately, over 6,000 teens a year lose their lives due to vehicle crashes, many of which could be avoided. >> reporter: and that's what you learn in this program, how to anticipate and avoid accidents. professional drivers, many with car racing experience, are the instructors. >> we're going to be teaching you advanced driving skills. >> reporter: the outdoor classroom is the giant parking lot at cellular field in chicago. there are four courses that teach hands-on driving skills under safe and controlled conditions. here's a quick overview of each course. hazard recognition teaches that hitting the brake is not always

the best choice in an emergency. the fatal vision goggles course shows how alcohol and drugs affect your coordination. you learn to deal with a skid in vehicle handling. >> no brake pedal, no brake pedal, look to the second cone. come on, accelerate, accelerate. >> it was really fun. i liked it. and i ran over a lot of cones, and i learned a lot. >> reporter: the fourth course is driving while distracted. >> we get them on a course, and we really focus on paying attention. >> hey, listen, i'm really thirsty. i think i've got a bottle of water over there if you wouldn't mind getting it for me. >> we have them see what it's like making mistakes. >> do you think this program's going to save lives? >> it's already proven that it has. when driving skills for life came to illinois in 2007, the county that i work for, we had 15 teen deaths in 15 months. i worked several of those crashes. when i became involved with

this, we've been working non-stop not only with schools in our county but throughout the state. and our data already reflects that teens are driving safer in cars now. >> when it was my turn to drive, i found out i needed to un-learn one of my own bad habits. >> for some reason a lot of boys, a lot of men like to drive like this, with one hand on top of the wheel. >> yeah, that's me. >> it is, okay. we're going to fix that habit. if you're driving like this, which is a really common thing, you have the airbag here which is really like a loaded gun. it has gun powder, it comes out at over 200 miles per hour. now imagine if this malfunctions right now. your hand is going to go right in your face. >> reporter: and i learned that keeping my hands at 9:00 and 3:00 on the wheel also gives extra flexibility for turning. >> you know, we hope that teenagers take away some additional experience, experience they wouldn't normally get on their own, in a safe environment. and the message here obviously is that the driving, it takes years to learn. take your time, slow down, watch out for distractions and be a

safer driver out there. >> reporter: will you be making some changes in the way you drive after taking these courses today? >> yeah, i will be. >> reporter: do you think you're a better driver now or before? >> i'm a better driver now than i was before. totally a lot better. >> reporter: and i am, too. i'll share more of the safe driving tips i learned in upcoming reports. stay with us, there's lots more sti to come on "teen kids news." jus >> we'll be right back. in and. the lipstain gives me a light flush of color in and. while the moisturizing balm softens my lips. have you ever been bitten? new revlon just bitten lipstain and balm. o need assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little or no cost to you. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance, may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full.

the scooter store. hi i'm doug harrison. we're experts at getting you the power chair or scooter you need. in fact, if we qualify you for medicare reimbursement and medicare denies your claim, we'll give you your new power chair or scooter free. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. with help from the scooter store, medicare and my insurance covered it all. call the scooter store for free information today. the economy's hurting more than just people. our furry friends are suffering too. >> we see really good people who love their animals to death but just don't have the money to pay for it. >> reporter: vincent damiani learned how the economy impacts

the lives of pets while he was working at new jersey's camden county animal shelter. according to the aspca, over 1 million animals are at stake of losing their homes during an economic crisis. >> reporter: one of pets that lost its home was prince chunk. >> prince chunk was found roaming the streets on july 25th, 2008. his owner thought it would be in his best interest to abandon him on the street. >> reporter: while the typical cat weighs up to 15 pounds, this big cat tipped the scales at a whopping 44 pounds, hence the name "prince chunk." however, it turned out to be just a tall tale. >> they didn't realize that the scale actually wasn't working, and he was actually 22 pounds. >> reporter: okay, so maybe prince chunk didn't make history, but he did make a friend who wanted to adopt him. >> he was a really unique cat. he had a really unique personality. we put in an application on him, and we were approved. >> reporter: seeing that there was a need to help other pets,

vincent started a non-profit organization. >> the "prince chunk foundatio"" enables pet owners to keep their pets during times of financial crisis by providing temporary assistance. the foundation has two main programs. >> the pet food assistance program enables pet owners to keep their pets by providing them pet food. the other program that we have is the emergency veterinary care assistance program. that program provides emergency veterinary care to approved applicants so that applicants aren't forced to bring their animals to the shelter. >> come here, buddy! hi. >> reporter: dr. kasanovsky is one of the many veterinarians working with vincent's foundation. >> if they have a client or a patient that needs medical care, they can send that patient to us and we will take care of them. >> you want to take care of his toe first? >> okay. >> oh, are you okay? >> right now we're in new jersey, pennsylvania, new york and california. we are hoping to be nationwide by 2012. >> reporter: as for prince

chunk, life's pretty purr-fect. >> prince chunk's doing great. he has transformed from just a fat cat to now being the face of the prince chunk foundation, which is now going to help a lot of animals. >> reporter: to learn more about the prince chunk foundation, you can visit our website, teenkidsnews.com. we see them all the time, but very few of us look closely. except for kristen, who has some interesting facts about our state flags. ♪ >> reporter: alaska's coastline is longer than all our other states' coastlines combined. so it would be reasonable to imagine that the state flag's blue background represents the oceans surrounding alaska. but actually, that field of blue represents the magnificent skies above alaska, as well as the state's official flower, the forget-me-not. the flag was designed by a teenager who entered a contest

in 1926. >> there was actually a 13-year-old orphan named benny benson who submitted the winning design. it was a territory-wide flag contest. alaska wasn't even a state yet. and they got all sorts of wonderful entries with polar bears and everything else you'd relate to alaska, eskimo images, those sorts of things. but he simply went with the big dipper, which is a part of ursa, the great bear, because he saw strength in the people of alaska. and then he also included the north star, because, whether it was his foresight, his hope, whatever it might be, he saw that someday alaska would be, or he hoped it would be the northernmost of the united states. >> his hope became a reality in 1959, when alaska became our 49th state. today, alaska remains our nation's largest state geographically, but our smallest in terms of population. with "flag facts," i'm kristen. coming up, i'll take you to the yankees' home away from

home.

this season we were invited to do some behind-the-scenes reporting on the new york yankees. here's this week's segment. ♪ >> reporter: sunshine and baseball. welcome to tampa, florida, home to the yankees' spring training. are you a yankees fan? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: so why are you here? >> it's a tradition in our family to come to spring training every february and watch the yankees work out. >> reporter: and how many spring trainings have you been to? >> four. we flew down from new york. >> is it more exciting here in spring training, or up in new york by the games? >> here in spring training. >> reporter: why? >> because here everybody goes by the fence and they get autographs. >> reporter: have you gotten anyone's autograph yet? >> yeah. >> reporter: who have you gotten? >> curtis granderson. >> reporter: whose autograph

have you gotten? >> i got mo's last week. >> reporter: was he bigger than you expected? >> yeah, he's pretty big. he's like 6'3". >> reporter: are you going to be a baseball player? >> softball. >> reporter: softball player? what position? >> short. >> reporter: just like jeter? let's get the crowd going. >> let's go yankees! let's go yankees! let's go yankees! let's go yankees! >> this is the yankees' 14th season playing their spring training games here in tampa. while the stadium looks smaller, the field's dimensions are an exact replica of yankee stadium. it's 318 feet down the left field line. and in the deepest part of the park, it's 408 feet to the center field wall.d it's 314 feet down the right field line. that's 4 feet shorter than the left field one. each one of the players gets here really early, and their day

begins with some stretching. with 162 games a year it's important they stay in shape and take care of their bodies. they don't call it spring training for nothing. there are four fields here at george m. steinbrenner field. that allows the squad to split up and work on different things at different times. here on field 3 the position players are warming up. there are 66 players here at spring training, but only a 40-man roster will go to new york. generally, the players you see with the higher numbers on their jerseys are minor leaguers trying out their skills here at spring training. these guys are playing for the yankees now, but they still have to practice, practice, practice. they even practice their running and their throwing. and the pitchers are practicing here on the main field. the yankees invite many legendary players to spring

training, to both coach and inspire the players. the likes of yogi berra, goose gossage, reggie jackson, and ron guidry. one of the really cool things about spring training is that at batting practice you can get much closer to the players. crack of the bat, ouch. there's a nice large bullpen here at steinbrenner field, where the pitchers get to warm up and the fans get a bird's eye view. hey, derek! hi c.c.! how's it going, a-rod? i'll tell you, being here in sunny florida covering the yankees' spring training is a lot more fun than it is work. just don't tell my producer. oh! guess he found out! no longer in tampa, for "teen kids news," i'm nicole. brrrr. i want to tell you about -- a time in american history -- ...so it never repeats itself. it was a heart-wrenching time. my family was ravaged.

thousands and thousands died. and then one day -- and then one day there was hope. before vaccines, there were few ways to help protect against deadly illnesses. without vaccines, they can re-emerge. get your kids vaccinated and keep them on schedule. i never want my grandchildren to see what i saw.

there's something new in doctors' waiting rooms, a light-weight computer that asks some heavy-duty questions. when it comes to issues like sex, drugs, and emotional health, teenage patients like lara are finding it easier to talk to a computer. >> i don't think if a physician would have asked me those questions, i would have been as comfortable answering them as i was with the keypad touch screen. >> reporter: it's called a health e-touch pad, developed by nationwide children's hospital in ohio. lara is part of a group of teens who are testing the new device. each teen is asked to respond to a series of questions on the e-touch. then it's given to the doctor,

who can see what kind of help the teen might need. >> so the clinician can come up with a game plan going in to how are we going to address this? how can i talk to them about this? >> reporter: the study finds the technology does make a difference. teens who used the e-touch were six times more likely to get care for problems like substance abuse or depression. >> we're hoping that by catching these things early and treating them early we decrease negative long-term outcomes that have long-term, long-lasting health effects. >> reporter: teens in the study were also more likely to come back for follow-up visits. >> the parents and the kids actually like it. >> this is an era of electronics and computers. so i think it's easy for teenagers to use, and i think they'll feel comfortable using it as well, because they're so familiar with it. >> reporter: the e-touch is just experimental right now. in the meantime, if you have a doctor visit coming up, use a good old-fashioned pencil and paper to write down questions beforehand.

>> all right, young america, what's your opinion? we'll find out in "speak of the week." >> remember the song "if i had a million dollars"? well, even if you don't, let's pretend you had $1 million. how would you spend it? >> i'd do a lot of different things. >> probably go on a crazy shopping spree. >> first i'd put a lot into my bank account to save for later for college. >> i would certainly give some to the charities and like, for example, cancer because it seems to be running in my family line a lot and i hope people can find a cure for it soon. >> then i would give a bit to charity. >> i would probably donate some to charity and then put some in like my college fund. >> then i'd probably give some to different people in my family. >> if i won a million dollars, i'd get a nicer house and give

some to charity. >> then i'd spend it on stuff, go on a shopping spree. >> reporter: for "teen kids news," i'm sam.

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product recalls to home buying tips, check out usa.gov. because the country runs better when we stay connected. henry hudson was an english explorer who discovered one of america's most treasured islands. now a replica of his ship serves as a floating museum. siena takes us on a tour. ♪ >> reporter: in april 1609 henry hudson set sail from europe. he was looking for a short cut to the orient and found new york city instead. to honor the explorer, a replica of his famous ship, the "half moon," was built. let's take a look inside.

captain reynolds, tell me what is so special about the "half moon." >> well, this is the first european ship that documented entry into and exploration of the hudson river. and it sailed here in 1609, and within a handful of years you had dutch beaver traders here and the development of new netherland, which was the dutch colony based on commerce and trade that extended from central connecticut all the way to delaware. >> reporter: captain reynolds not only navigates the "half moon," he's also the director of the new netherlands museum. what sort of artifacts are on the ship? >> oh, you'll find everything aboard here from navigational tools to the foods that were eaten, to native artifacts and european artifacts. >> reporter: a common misconception is that hudson was lost when he found what's now new york city. >> people tend to think that these explorers just blundered around and accidentally stumbled upon their discoveries, but they didn't. they sailed very precisely everywhere they were going. they knew where they were going. they documented where they were

and what they were finding. >> reporter: at the time hudson sailed, life aboard ship wasn't glamorous. >> split peas formed one of the basic staples for shipboard life, as well as white peas and wheat. you'd cook this up more or less like oatmeal, and that would form the basis of what they ate. and then every two or three days they'd get a ration of beef or every two or three days they'd get a ration of dried fish. >> reporter: the crew also ate something called hardtack, a bread-like substance that wouldn't rot on long voyages. >> hardtack is nothing more than wheat flour and water and a little salt that's been baked until the water is driven out of it. it makes it very hard, but also makes it less susceptible to mold. >> reporter: if the diet aboard the ship sounds meager, wait until you see where the crew

slept! >> you're now in the orlop deck. the sailors would actually sleep down in this level. they would have perhaps a wool blanket or something of that nature that they would lay on the deck and sleep right on these wooden decks. >> reporter: not exactly comfortable accommodations. and the crew were practically strangers, since hudson acted fast to pull together his team. >> he signed a contract with the dutch east india company in january of 1609. and by april they were at sea. so in four months, before the advent of telephones and e-mail and the easy ability to communicate in travel he had to pull in the crew that was going to be sailing on this very challenging voyage. he had to grab whoever he could. so harmony in the crew was a very important challenge to explorers. not just hudson. >> reporter: despite the rough conditions, the "half moon" was on an important mission. not only to open new trade routes, but to open up a greater understanding of the world. >> these were people who really were on the cutting edge of a new scientific view of the

world, and at the turn of the 1600s you had explorers on ships like this traveling all over the world, taking measurements, documenting the world around them, and sharing that information back with people in europe. >> reporter: what do you think is the coolest part of the ship? >> well really, the coolest part of the ship is our crew because we sail with a crew of 7th grade students on board the ship when we re-create henry hudson's voyage up the hudson river or through new netherland. when the students are on here, they handle everything with sailing, standing lookout, steering the ship, navigating and also taking all these measurements of the world around them that henry hudson did 400 years ago. >> i think it's really interesting to see what life was like back then when henry hudson was sailing. >> reporter: would you want to sail on the "half moon"? >> i would, but not quite for eight months. >> not exactly, i don't think i'd fit well in the cramped conditions and low ceilings. >> reporter: okay, so it's not an exact replica. this "half moon" has a diesel engine and gps navigation

equipment, things that may have come in handy for henry hudson. for "teen kids news," i'm siena. that wraps up our show, but we'll be back with more "teen kids news." >> thanks for joining us, and have a great week. ♪ ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ♪ write to us at info@teenkidsnews.com. >> here's a shout out to american troops serving in afghanistan.