Teen Safe Driving Program Expands to 20 Counties in its Third Year

Oct. 4 is deadline for high schools to apply

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Sep 12, 2013, 08:00 ET

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Students at more than 600 Michigan high schools have the opportunity to help save the lives of their fellow students by participating in a program aimed at making students better and safer drivers.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110321/CL67889LOGO )

This public-private partnership between AAA Michigan, Ford Driving Skills for Life and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning was created to help reduce teen traffic crashes which are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. According to Michigan Traffic Crash Facts in 2012, there were 46 traffic fatalities involving drivers ages 15-18 in Michigan.

Strive For A Safer Drive (S4SD) provides funding and resources to help teens talk to other teens about safe driving. Up to 50 high schools in the top counties for teen traffic fatalities and serious injuries will be selected to participate in the 2013-2014 school year.

This year Strive For A Safer Drive (S4SD) is expanding to 20 eligible counties including Allegan, Berrien, Eaton, Genesee, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Ottawa, Saginaw, St. Clair, Van Buren, Washtenaw and Wayne. In the 2012-2013 school year, schools from 11 counties participated.

Each participating school will receive $2,000 for students to create teen-led traffic safety campaigns aimed at educating their fellow classmates about distracted driving, seat belt use, speeding, underage drinking\impaired driving or winter driving. Following a series of activities, the schools determined to have the top campaigns will have the opportunity to send students to a free Ford Driving Skills for Life hands-on driving clinic with professional driving instructors in the spring of 2014. A video about the hands-on event is available on the Strive For A Safer Drive (S4SD) Facebook page.

High schools in the eligible counties are encouraged to apply for Strive For A Safer Drive (S4SD). Participation and application information is available on Michigan.gov\s4sd. Applications are due Oct. 4.

This is the third year for the Strive For A Safer Drive (S4SD) program. Sixteen schools participated during the program's first year and 32 schools participated last year.

Michigan.gov/s4sd
Facebook.com/Strive4ASaferDrive

SOURCE AAA Michigan