DEARBORN — Students here participated in the Ford Motor Company Fund’s “Driving Skills for Life” program this week, an ongoing initiative designed to reduce teen car crashes and fatalities.  Students from Fordson, Edsel Ford, and Dearborn High School competed to create public service announcements (PSA) that effectively conveyed messages of safe driving.

Ford partnered with the Governors Highway Safety Association, a non-profit organization representing highway safety offices from around the U.S., to implement this program in Dearborn. The program has captured national attention for its ongoing commitment to promote the safety and well-being of teenaged drivers.

Each of the schools submitted PSAs that focused on driver safety and the repercussions of making poor choices while driving.  The participating students were given a budget of $2,000 to work on the project. The students also composed posters that expressed their creativity and delivered messages of safe driving. Each school held an assembly this week, where the entries were judged by a committee made up of the program’s supporters.

Among the program’s sponsors are the City of Dearborn, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Michigan, Dearborn Public Schools, and the Dearborn Police Department, all of whom played an active role in the implementation of the “Driving Skills” program.

ADC Michigan Regional Director, Imad Hamad, commended Ford for their efforts to ensure the safety of young drivers in the local community.

“ADC Michigan salutes Ford Motor Company Fund for launching this great initiative,” said Hamad. “This is a great opportunity for our youth to learn about safety while entering the driving world.”

Dearborn Mayor John O’Reilly, Jr., agreed that it is imperative to instill safe driving skills in young drivers.

“The City of Dearborn is proud to support this effort, which will make our roads safer and equip young drivers with the practical training they need,” said O’Reilly “We’re grateful to Ford Motor Company for looking out for teenage drivers, and for all the community partners involved in this initiative.”

During the assemblies held this week, each school focused on topics related to decision-making when getting behind the wheel. Issues like drunk driving, reckless driving, speeding, and talking on the phone while driving were addressed. All three assemblies featured a presentation by Dearborn Police Corporal Pat Hayes, who works as a Fatal Accidents Investigator.  He spoke to the students about the responsibility that comes along with having a driver’s license.

“Having a driver’s license is not a right, it is a privilege,” he told the students.  “If you do not act responsibly, this privilege will be taken away from you.”

Hayes also discussed with the students the alarming statistics related to teen drivers and the countless accidents involving local teens who acted irresponsibly while driving.  He shared with them stories involving students at their own schools who were involved in serious accidents, many of them fatalities.  Hayes warned that many times, innocent bystanders are the ones hurt most by young people making bad choices while driving.  He added that teen drivers should think twice before making a decision that could potentially alter their lives.

“You may not think that it can happen to you, but it can,” Hayes continued.  “It’s all about making the right choices.”

After this week’s judging, the schools’ entries will be ranked from first through third place.  Each school will receive monetary awards based on how they placed, which will be used toward continuing driver safety education at the school.

Select students from each of the competing schools who participated in this program will be chosen to take part in a hands-on training session offered by Ford. Through this interactive course, students will be able to improve their driving skills in specially equipped vehicles on challenging driving courses, while under the supervision of a team of professional instructors from across the U.S.  The training, scheduled for April 10, 2008, will take place over the course of four days, at Ford Motor Company’s Dearborn Development Center. The course will focus on improving skills that are factors in 60 percent of teen vehicles crashes:  hazard recognition, vehicle handling, speed management and space management.

“Driving Skills for Life” has also developed a website which offers safety tips for both parents and teens, interactive games, and free educational materials. To learn more,  visit https://www.drivingskillsforlife.com/.