Ford Teen Driver Training Program

Educational Program Launched by Ford Motor Company Fund & Governors Highway Safety Association Set for October 11-12 in Irvine

Ford's Susan Cischke provides safety tips to students Jennifer Spoone (behind the wheel) and Anwulika Oputa during an earlier event in Maryland.

IRVINE, Calif. (October 11, 2005) – The numbers are staggering and sad: 459 teens (between the ages of 15 and 19) died on California highways in 2004, while 37,963 suffered injuries, according to the latest 2004 Statewide Integrated Traffic Safety Records Systems (SWITRS) figures. Nationally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports the number of teen traffic fatalities in 2003 was nearly 6,500.

In response, Ford Motor Company Fund, in collaboration with the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), is bringing Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) to the Verizon Amphitheatre in Irvine , Calif. , October 11-12. More than 75 Orange County High School students are expected to attend per day, receiving hands-on, behind the wheel training by professional instructors. Also in attendance will be representatives from Ford, GHSA, the Orange County Department of Education and Orange County politicians.

Driving Skills for Life , a national, comprehensive teen-driving education campaign, was launched three years ago with the agenda to teach safety tips to teenage drivers and to save lives. Studies show that crash rates are highest among teens in their first few hundred miles on the road, and that 60 percent of those crashes result from inexperience in four key areas: hazard recognition, vehicle handling, space management and speed management. Driving Skills for Life provides instruction in these four key areas that are critical factors in teen vehicle crashes.

“This dynamic program raises the awareness of teenagers and helps turn them into safer, more attentive drivers,” said Bill Habermehl, Orange County superintendent of schools. “We’re thrilled the Driving Skills for Life program is coming to Orange County .”

Added Christopher J. Murphy, vice chairman, GSHA and director, California Highway Safety Office, “Too many teenagers die in traffic fatalities. That’s why the Driving Skills for Life program was created. Bringing it to Southern California students has been one of our goals and we look forward to putting them through the program.”

Driving Skills for Life reaches millions of teens, parents and educators nationally through its Web site, ride-and-drive programs, materials being distributed to more than 20,000 schools nationally, public service announcements (PSAs) in theaters across the country and safety events at shopping malls. The Driving Skills for Life interactive Web site (www.drivingskillsforlife.com) provides more information about driving skills for parents and students, an online learning module and quiz, and a teaching curriculum for educators.

“Ford is committed to teen-driving safety and has partnered with GHSA to take this expanded program nationwide,” said Susan M. Cischke, Ford vice president, Environmental and Safety Engineering. “The program not only provides hands-on emergency response training, it includes an interactive instructional Web site, public service announcements at movie theaters and safety events at shopping malls across the U.S. And, as always, we at Ford will continue developing features that make our vehicles safer for drivers of all ages.”