State to receive $10,000 grant to improve teens' safe driving skills

March 17, 2008

To help teach and motivate teenagers to drive safely, Wisconsin has been awarded a $10,000 grant to implement a Driving Skills for Life program sponsored by Ford Motor Company and the nationwide Governor's Highway Safety Association. Wisconsin was one of 11 states and territories selected to receive a grant.

To develop the Driving Skills for Life program, the Wisconsin State Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety will work with the Children's Hospital Education Center in Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Drivers' Education Association to have high-school students create safe driving campaigns for their fellow students. The program will help fund student-led safe driving campaigns at approximately 10 high schools that have recently experienced fatal or serious injury traffic crashes involving their students. In designing their campaigns, students will collaborate with law enforcement agencies, drivers' education instructors, businesses, community leaders, local media, and parents.

The high schools will be selected by August so that students may begin working on their campaigns soon after the start of the school year.

"Driving Skills for Life strives to change teenagers' driving behavior by going beyond what is taught in standard drivers' education programs," says Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the State Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety. "Traffic safety programs that target young drivers, like Driving Skills for Life, are urgently needed. In Wisconsin, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for youths, ages 16 to 20. Because they typically feel invincible, young drivers all too often engage in dangerous behaviors such as speeding and driving while impaired or distracted. They also have the lowest rate of safety belt use. Less than 60 percent of them buckle up while the state average for safety belt use is more than 75 percent. If more teen drivers would slow down, pay attention, drive sober and buckle up, many needless deaths and injuries could be prevented."

For more information, contact:
Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs, WisDOT
(608) 267-9075, dennis.hughes@dot.state.wi.us