Through the support of Ford Driving Skills for Life, GHSA awarded the New York highway safety office a grant to make a hands-on driver education program available to teens in the Capital Region of New York.
Teen drivers 16-20 years of age in New York State account for a disproportionate number of crashes each year. Every day, approximately ten people are killed or injured in car crashes involving a teen driver. The leading causes of these crashes are excessive speed, distraction and driver inexperience.
Through a GHSA and Ford Driving Skills for Life program grant, the New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) partnered with Teen Driving Solutions (TDS) to make a hands-on driver education program available to teens in the Capital Region of New York.
TSD Solutions provided hands-on, behind-the-wheel instruction in a safe and controlled environment and a classroom curriculum to help prepare students mentally for the complex task of driving. It was the first time TSD offered its services in New York State.
The training was held at the State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany, NY, which provided ample space for the hands-on training and classroom instruction, as well as simulation of inclement weather conditions. The Mohawk Valley Refugee Center helped recruit teens and their parents/caregivers to attend the training. Teenagers had to be at least 15 years old, have a learner's permit, and have logged at least 20 hours of supervised driving practice in order to participate.
The two-day training was conducted for teens and their parents/caregivers on May 20-21. The behind-the-wheel and classroom instruction focused on helping teens improve their driving skills and learn about vehicle maintenance. Karen Torres, a survivor advocate, spoke to all the attendees about the dangers of reckless driving.
Thirty-two individuals from underserved communities, 16 teens and 16 parents/caregivers completed the training.
GTSC hosted an additional training session after the two-day event and plans to extend its contract with TSD to make this training available to more youth.
