Ford Motor Company Fund, Washington Traffic Safety Commission, and Governors Highway Safety Association bring
Ford Driving Skills for Life Hands-On Teen Safe Driving Program to Metro Seattle
Who: Over 400 teens ages 15 -19 in the Seattle/Tacoma area who have a valid driver’s license or learner’s permit. Parents and educators are encouraged to participate as well.
What: Teens will drive specially equipped vehicles on closed road courses under the supervision of professional instructors, improving their skills in the four key areas that contribute to over 60% of teen crashes and fatalities: hazard recognition (distractions), vehicle handling, and speed/space management. The specially equipped course and vehicles allow teen drivers to experience potentially threatening situations in a controlled, safe environment.
Where: Emerald Downs
2300 Emerald Downs Drive, Auburn, WA 98001
When: Wednesday, August 18th and Thursday, August 19th
Session 1: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Session 2: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Students attend one of the four sessions.
Why: Vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teenagers, claiming nearly 6,000 lives in the United States each year. Crash rates are highest during a teen’s first few hundred miles on the road. Between 2004 and 2008, 353 teens (13-19) died in crashes on WA roads and 369 fatal crashes involved a teen driver (13-19), according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Ford Motor Company Fund, Governors Highway Safety Association and a panel of safety experts developed Ford Driving Skills for Life to address this issue. The comprehensive program focuses on teaching skills necessary for safe driving and often not fully understood by new drivers.
Register: Register online at www.drivingskillsforlife.com. Space is limited – breakfast and lunch will be provided.
For more information, please contact:
| Jenny Yim-Nordquist Ford Motor Company (P) (425)939-0960 (E) jenny@westmeridian.com |
Rebecca Bunting Kuchar Ford Driving Skills for Life (O) (313)845-8740 (C) (313)516-4561 (E)rbuntin7@ford.com |
MJ Haught, Communications Manager Washington Traffic Safety Commission (O) (360)725-9879 (E) mjhaught@wtsc.wa.gov |