Last week, Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, arrived in East Syracuse to honor DeWitt Police Chief Eugene Conway and Jamesville-DeWitt Superintendent Alice Kendrick in a special awards ceremony that acknowledged their efforts in promoting safe travel to young adults. The DeWitt Police Department and the J-D School District were the first in the country to pilot “Alive at 25” – a National Safety Council teen driver program that has become a model for the rest of the nation.
“The program was first brought to our attention by Irene Scruton, who, in addition to being a [DeWitt town councilor] is also the president of the local chapter of the safety council,” Conway said.
The police department then presented the idea to J-D high school officials in response to continual neighborhood complaints they were receiving about students speeding and disregarding stop signs while driving to and from school. Officials embraced the program.
“Alive at 25” teaches young drivers and passengers to take control of situations by changing their attitudes and taking responsibilities for their own conduct. In addition, the four-hour course, which began in 2005, is a requirement for all students wishing to obtain a parking permit at the high school.
“It has been an extremely effective motivator,” Kendrick said.
Since the program’s start three years ago, almost 700 students have completed the course, which is offered at no cost to the students through funding assistance from local agencies of State Farm Insurance.
DeWitt Investigator John Anton and Officer Randy Andrews teach the “Alive at 25,” having completed a two-day instructor certification class. Anton also became a trainer for other officers wishing to educate.
So what topics are addressed in the four-hour time period?
“Inexperience, distractions and peer pressure cause unique driving hazards,” Anton said. “Speeding, alcohol and party drugs greatly increase their risk of injury or death. As a driver or passenger, they can greatly reduce their risk by taking control. Committing to changing their driving behavior makes personal, legal and financial sense.”
Dangerous driving awareness and safety factors are then backed by workbook exercises, interactive media segments, group discussion, role-playing and short lectures to help them develop convictions and strategies that will keep them safer on the road, Anton said.
“Every day in this country 29 young people are killed in fatal crashes,” Anton said. “And 13 of the 29-a-day are alcohol-related.”
Students are encouraged to fill out a survey after the course and mail it to the National Safety Council, located in Itasca, Ill.
“Our best feedback has been the comments of students who have completed the course and what they have said to the instructors,” Conway said. “What has been successful for us is that we have seen a reduction in the number of complaints of students driving habits to and from school through the neighborhoods.”
Ten Central New York schools are now offering “Alive at 25” and the program continues to expand throughout New York state.
We know the causes
Research shows which behaviors contribute to teen-related crashes. Inexperience and immaturity combined with speed, not wearing seat belts, distracted driving (cell phone use, loud music, other teen passengers, etc.), drowsy driving, nighttime driving, drinking and driving, and other drug use aggravate this problem.
Source: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (nhtsa.gov)
