KANSAS CITY - Helping young drivers improve their skills is the goal of four hands-on driving clinics being held from 7:30-12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., Sept. 28 and 29 in Kansas City, MO. The Ford Driving Skills for Life program provides free training to 400 KC teens and their parents as part of a 14-city U.S. tour. Professional instructors will teach teen drivers advanced skills behind the wheel with a focus on issues and obstacles new drivers face due to inexperience along with distracted and impaired driving.
Compared to the average driver in Missouri, young drivers are more than twice as likely to be in a crash resulting in either an injury or fatality. While young drivers (15-19) make up just 6 percent of the driving population, they were involved in 11 percent of all fatalities and 16 percent of all serious injuries in 2016 through 2018, according to data from the Missouri Traffic and Highway Safety Division.
Established in 2003, Ford Motor Company Fund, the Governors Highway Safety Association, and a panel of safety experts developed Ford Driving Skills for Life which teaches teens necessary skills for safe driving. In Missouri, the program is in partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation.
- WHO: Newly licensed drivers or teens who hold a valid learner’s permit can participate in the free program. Parents are also encouraged to participate with their teens because of the significant role they play in shaping their children’s driving habits.
- WHAT: Free, hands-on driver training that focuses on helping young drivers improve their skills in four key areas that are critical factors in more than 60 percent of vehicle crashes: hazard recognition, vehicle handling, and speed and space management. The program also focuses heavily on distracted driving, and Ford’s Drugged, Drunk, Hangover and Sleep Suits are designed to simulate the effects of impaired driving.
- WHEN: Saturday – Sunday: September 28 & September 29
- Session 1 – 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Session 2 – 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- WHERE: Manheim Kansas City, 3901 N. Skiles Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64161
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Media are invited to cover the hands-on driving clinics, and also participate in the training. Representatives from Ford Driving Skills for Life are available for interviews. Please contact Melissa Fox at mfox73@ford.com (248) 388-0252 to schedule one-on-one interviews.