May 23, 2006
Drive Rite gives teens more experience behind the wheel
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —Informational meetings for a program developed by Purdue University that gives teens added experience in driving before they hit the road on their own will be held across the state this summer.Drive Rite: Keys to Smart Driving not only gives teens more driving skills but it also provides parents with tools and resources to help their children become better drivers.
"Parents play a vital role in setting the tone for teen driving experience," said Aadron Rausch, Purdue Extension specialist. "Immaturity and inexperience are the leading causes of teen driving-related injuries and fatalities."
Traditional driver's education includes 30 to 32 classroom hours and requires only six hours of instructed driving before a license can be obtained. The Drive Rite program requires teens to have 60 hours behind the wheel in a variety of driving conditions with adult guidance.
"Drive Rite is a statewide initiative to reduce Indiana's teen driving-related injuries and fatalities on Indiana roadways," Rausch said. "We are educating both teens and adults about safe driving techniques and determining what components of driver's education are most effective in reducing teen driving-related motor vehicle injuries and deaths."
Drive Rite is being offered this year in the following counties: Brown, Elkhart, Hendricks, Henry, Morgan, Pulaski, Tippecanoe, Vanderburgh, Vigo and Warren. Teens from surrounding counties are welcome to participate.
• Elkhart County has an informational meeting in the beginning of August with the program beginning Aug. 15. For the specific date, time and location, contact Purdue Extension, Elkhart County, at (574) 523-2216.
• Hendricks County has an informational meeting Aug. 23, with monthly classes beginning Sept. 27. For specific date, time and location, contact Scott Foster with Purdue Extension, Hendricks County, at (317) 745-9260.
• Pulaski County has informational meetings scheduled for Aug. 16 and Aug. 21, both at 6:30 p.m. All sessions will be held at the Purdue Extension Office in Pulaski County, (574) 946-3412.
• Vanderburgh County has an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. June 6 at St. Mary's Medical Center Annex. The program will begin July 11 and is held at the Vanderburgh Training Center.
• Warren County has an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7, with monthly program sessions beginning Sept. 21. The informational session and all other sessions will be at the Warren County Learning Center.
• For Brown, Henry, Morgan and Vigo counties, contact the local Purdue Extension office for dates, times and locations. The program for Tippecanoe County starts June 8. Contact the Purdue Extension Office in Tippecanoe County for more information.
More than 6,000 teens in the United States die annually due to traffic-related injuries, making motor vehicle crashes the No. 1 killer of teens in the country, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The program supports parent involvement by educating parents as instructors during their youth's logged driving time. Teens and parents work together for a hands-on, practical experience that builds knowledge and skills to deal with real driving-related situations.
The Drive Rite program includes six facilitator-led monthly lessons lasting two hours each where parents and teens learn together; 11 parent-guided instructional driving lessons described in a parenting manual; a DVD with illustrated examples of the commentary driving technique to communicate thoughts and behaviors in various driving conditions; and a teen logbook to record 60 hours of practice driving, a driver's manual, a state map and a Drive Rite magnet.
Please contact Purdue Extension at (765) 494-8439 for specific times, dates and locations for the informational sessions and program workshops.
For more information about the program, to access a registration form and to view local program details, visit the Drive Rite Web site.
Drive Rite is conducted as a pilot program in select counties at no cost to a limited number of participants. It is a program of Purdue's Department of Youth Development and Agricultural Education and the Indiana 4-H program.
It is sponsored by the Governor's Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving, Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and State Farm Insurance.
Writer: Julie Douglas, (765) 496-1050, douglajk@purdue.edu
Source: Aadron Rausch, (765) 494-9516, rauschaj@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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