Ford Driving Skills for Life is back and coming to cities across America
Photo: Ford
Six State Highway Safety Offices will be on the receiving end of grants targeted at fighting speeding among teenage drivers. Ford Motor Company Fund and the Governors Highway Safety Association announced in July that they’ll extend their near-20-year partnership by donating $135,000 in grants and relaunching the Ford Driving Skills for Life program.
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GHSA, Ford Fund grants to help states fight teen speeding
GHSA and Ford Fund are awarding the grants to agencies in Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New York, Tennessee, and Utah. Each State Highway Safety Office will use its grant — totaling between $18,000 and $25,000 — to create programs aimed at teaching teens the dangers of speeding.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, and speeding is often a significant factor,” said Jonathan Adkins, GHSA Executor Director. “We must remain steadfast in our commitment to combat traffic fatalities and equip teens with the skills they need to be safe drivers.”
Despite COVID-19, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System reported that 2020 saw the highest number of traffic deaths since 2007. Speed is a prominent factor in many fatal crashes, and it’s particularly prevalent in fatal crashes involving teens.
Per GHSA and Ford Fund’s report, Teens & Speeding: Breaking the Deadly Cycle, 43 percent of teen and passenger deaths from 2015-2019 involved speeding. Among drivers 20 and older, the report found speed was only a factor in 30 percent of incidents.
In addition to the grants, Ford Fund and GHSA have officially rebooted the Ford Driving Skills for Life program. After a 15-month layoff caused by the pandemic, FDSL held its first 2021 dates from Aug.7-8 in Anaheim, California. Additional stops are scheduled for Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, Phoenix, Sacramento, and San Diego.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.
