Schools across Michigan participating in teen safe-driving program

Students at 36 Michigan high schools will have the opportunity to become better, safer drivers by participating in the Strive for a Safer Drive (S4SD) program. A peer-led traffic safety initiative, S4SD, aims to reduce the leading cause of death for teens—traffic crashes.

 

In 2021, there were 483,132 licensed drivers aged 15 to 20, which represented 6.7 percent of all Michigan drivers. However, that same age group had 103 traffic fatalities, accounting for 9.1 percent of all traffic deaths in Michigan. Inexperience and risk-taking behavior are the primary factors contributing to teen-driver fatalities. 

 

In its 12th year, S4SD is a public-private partnership between Ford Motor Company Fund’s Driving Skills for Life program and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). The program encourages teens to talk with their peers and their communities about making safe-driving choices. 

 

The participating S4SD high schools for the 2022-23 school year, by county, are:

Allegan:          Otsego High School
Bay/Arenac:   Bay-Arenac Career Center
Berrien:          Brandywine High School
Branch:          Coldwater High School
Calhoun:         Harper Creek High School
Clare:             Clare-Gladwin Regional Education Service District:
                      - Beaverton High School
                      - Clare High School
                       - Farwell High School
                       - Gladwin High School
                       - Harrison High School
Gratiot:          Fulton High School
Ingham:          Wilson Talent Center
Macomb:         Dakota High School
                        DiAnne M. Pellerin Center
                        Lake Shore High School
                        Warren Mott High School
Mason:          West Shore ESD – Career & Technical Education Center

As part of S4SD, each school receives $1,000, which students use to create a teen-led campaign that will educate their classmates and community about various traffic safety topics, including speeding; seat belts; pedestrian, bicyclist and passenger safety; and impaired, distracted, nighttime and winter driving.

 

Schools will submit videos or PowerPoint presentations outlining their campaigns. The top-five schools judged to have winning campaigns will receive cash prizes ranging from $500 to $1,500. 

 

Since the 2011 creation of S4SD, 185 different Michigan high schools have participated in the program.

 

The OHSP has partnered with the Transportation Improvement Association to coordinate activities of the S4SD program.

 

For more information about S4SD, please visit www.Michigan.gov/S4SD.