Teens participate in free driving safety event in Minot
For Immediate Release: Jun 20 2024
Minot, ND – Vision Zero hosted a free, one-day safety event yesterday for more than 50 drivers ages 14-18 at the Minot State University Dome.
Vision Zero Driving Skills for Success gave teens the opportunity to drive through a closed course with various types of distractions, view the consequences of not wearing a seat belt through the rollover simulator and experience simulators that focused on impaired driving prevention. Each scenario allowed the driver to feel or witness the real-life effect their choices can have in a controlled environment.
Other educational stations included teaching teens how to parallel park and what to do if their vehicle gets a flat tire through a car care clinic. In addition, drivers also had the opportunity to participate in the North Dakota Safety Council’s (NDSC) Alive at 25 defensive driving course.
In 2022 in North Dakota, teen drivers accounted for 6% of all licensed drivers but were behind the wheel in nearly 16% of all crashes. Teen drivers in North Dakota were involved in 11% of fatal crashes for the same period. Because of these statistics, it is important to continually educate teen drivers and provide them with opportunities to enhance their driving skills to move toward the goal of Vision Zero: eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on North Dakota roadways.
This safety event was in partnership with the North Dakota Department of Transportation, NDSC – Alive at 25, ND Parks and Recreation, Ryan Family Dealership, North Dakota Motor Carriers Association, Minot Police Department, Ward County Sheriff’s Department, ND Highway Patrol, Dickinson Police Department, U-Haul, ABC Minot Driving School, Ward County Highway Department and Vision Zero Outreach Coordinators.
For more information on the Vision Zero traffic safety initiative, visit VisionZero.ND.gov.
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