Teen Driver Safety Course Offered
Is your teenager’s life worth two hours of your time?
In Georgia, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. In an effort to address this problem, The University of Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute (G.T.I.P.I.) has developed a statewide program called Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E. (Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Error).
The program offers Parent/Teen Driver Education classes for Jasper and surrounding county residents.
These classes target parents/guardians and their teenage drivers who are either just beginning to drive or are preparing for a learner’s permit. The program is funded through the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and the course is offered to teens for FREE.
This is not a hands-on, mechanical “how-to” course, but a class that addresses driving attitude and behavior of teenagers ages 14-16. This course will:
•Help parents/ guardians become more aware of their own driving behaviors;
•Teach parents how to help their teenagers become safe drivers;
•Help parents and teenagers learn what they need to do during the supervised practice driving time required to obtain a license; and
•Alter attitudes and driving behaviors of novice teenage drivers.
A class will be held Monday, May 19, from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. at Southern Crescent Technical College, 112 Industrial Park Drive, Monticello.
To register, pick up and return a completed registration form from The Snap’n Turtle, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, or a P.R.I.D.E. Instructor.
The teenager and at least one parent or guardian (who will supervise the practice time) must be present during the entire two-hour course. Class size is limited and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Local P.R.I.D.E. instructors Lisa Batchelor from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, Gail Dearro from Jasper County Communications 911 Center, Jan Fowler, Matt Tumlin, and Mary Tumlin from Jasper County Fire Services were certified last spring at a course held at the Southern Crescent Monticello campus.
For more information, call Mary Tumlin at 706-318-0351 or 800-342-9819 or visit www.ridesafegeorgia.org. E-mail inquiries may be sent to gtipi@uga.edu. Register today!
