Boise Police adopts new program to help keep young drivers safe!
The Boise Police Department, working with a grant from the Idaho Department of Transportation and other local agencies have begun to offer unique classes specifically focused on young motorists! The first class took place last night at City Hall West in Boise. There is currently no fee for taking the course and it may help lower your insurance rates depending on the insurance company. The class takes approximately 4 and a half hours to complete and graduates walk away with a diploma to present to their insurance carrier. The Alive and 25 course was developed in Colorado and the program has seen great success in that state. You can learn more about the program, find a course to attend and sign up for a class at www.aliveat25.us
What happens during the Alive at 25 course?
This highly interactive program encourages young drivers between the ages of 15 and 24 to take responsibility for their driving behavior. Skill practices and on-the-spot defensive driving techniques help change bravado to confidence.
Our DDC-Alive at 25 instructors use personal examples and even humor to get their point across. They use workbook exercises, interactive media segments, group discussions, role-playing, and short lectures to help young drivers develop convictions and strategies that will keep them safer on the road.
Vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24. The National Safety Council, a leader in driver improvement training for more than 40 years, developed DDC-Alive at 25 to specifically target drivers in this age group.
Since 1995, more than 400,000 young adults have learned life-saving defensive driving skills through DDC-Alive at 25.
In a study conducted by the Colorado State Patrol in 2003, of 1000 random Alive at 25 graduates (500 voluntary and 500 court ordered), 89% of the respondents indicated they believed they would be a safer driver as a result of taking the class and, 92% of the respondents identified that they believed the class helped them improve their driving knowledge and skills. Please remember, half of the respondents did not want to be there and were court ordered, traffic violators.
Courts and schools nationwide use DDC-Alive at 25 in their graduated license and violator programs.
DDC-Alive at 25 teaches young adults that:
People in their age group are more likely to be hurt or killed in a vehicle crash.
Inexperience, distractions, and peer pressure cause unique driving hazards.
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.
Why do we need the Alive at 25 course?
Traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 44% of teen deaths in the U.S.
Young drivers are involved in fatal crashes at more than twice the rate of all others
The first year for a newly licensed teenage driver is the most dangerous, with more than one in five involved in crashes
Each year nearly 6,000 teens are killed in vehicular accidents; more than 3,800 are drivers aged 15-20
Annually, more than 326,000 young drivers are seriously injured
116 young drivers were killed in Colorado in 2007; 86 (74%) were not wearing safety belts; 56 of these were ejected from the vehicle
More than half the deaths occurred between Friday and Sunday; 41% occurred between 9:00pm and 6:00am
Exceeding the posted speed limit or driving at an unsafe speed is the most common error in fatal teenage accidents
More than 1,000 young drivers lose their lives each year in crashes because of an impaired driver, be it themselves or someone else
Although this group represents about 7% of the nations’ licensed drivers, they are involved in nearly 15% of all fatal crashes
Research shows the leading cause of young driver accidents involve one or a combination of the following factors:
Lack of awareness to the consequences of risk-taking behavior
Inexperience with complexities of driving
Peers in vehicle with the youthful driver
Driving as a social activity
Impaired driving to due road conditions, including driving at night
Speeding
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
As a young driver or passenger, you can greatly reduce your risk by taking control of the situation. Committing to learning or changing your driving behavior makes personal, legal and financial sense.
You can learn more about the program, find a course to attend and sign up for a class at www.aliveat25.us
Release Prepared By:
Charles McClure
Boise Police Public Information