Kansas City, MO - Keeping teens safe on the roads is the goal of four free upcoming half-day driving skills clinics sponsored by Ford in partnership with the Governors Highway Safety Association, and the Missouri Department of Transportation. The clinics will be held from 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., and 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. on May 18 and 19 at Manheim Kansas City, 3901 N Skiles Ave #9305, Kansas City, MO 64161. More information is available at www.drivingskillsforlife.com.
“Providing real life, behind-the-wheel training is crucial in forming safe driving habits in this next generation of drivers,” said Jon Nelson, MoDOT’s Assistant State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer. “The education these teen drivers are getting is invaluable and will only become more necessary as technologies continue to develop.”
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death for U.S. teens; however, over the last two decades, fatal crashes involving teens fell 38% (GHSA). Additionally, there has been an alarming, rapid increase in pedestrian deaths since 2009, with drivers killing more than 7,500 people walking in 2022 – the most in four decades. This surge is due to a variety of factors, including U.S. streets being designed primarily to move cars quickly at the expense of keeping everyone safe (GHSA, Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State, 2023).
Per mile driven, drivers ages 16 to 19 are nearly three times as likely to be killed in a crash compared to other drivers. In 2023, there were 21,562 crashes in Missouri involving a teenage driver, resulting in 8,508 injuries and 132 fatalities according to data from Missouri’s statewide integrated traffic records system.
Now in its third decade, Ford Driving Skills for Life pairs newly licensed or permitted drivers with professional driving instructors for hands-on driver training in a safe, closed-course environment. Developed by Ford Philanthropy, GHSA and a panel of safety experts, the program addresses issues and critical factors that influence crashes, including vehicle handling, hazard recognition, speed and space management, distracted driving and impaired driving. The program supports a Safe System Approach, which prioritizes the elimination of crashes that result in death and serious injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility among all road users.
New this year, the clinics now feature a Safety in Mobility module, which places an added emphasis on educating young drivers about pedestrian and cyclist safety. The new module engages teens in lessons around electric scooter safety and a safety technique that aims to stop cyclists and pedestrians from being hit by car doors. There is also a virtual reality component involving stationary bicycles.
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Media are invited to attend the event. Please contact Stephanie Jarnagan, Ford Fund, 480-201-7572, Stephanie@thinkcommaz.com.