Grants totaling $135,000 are being handed out to help combat teen speeding in six American states.
Ford Motor Company Fund and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is awarding the grants to State Highway Safety Offices in Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New York, Tennessee and Utah.
Vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for teen drivers and data from GHSA and Ford Fund’s Teens & Speeding: Breaking the Deadly Cycle report released earlier this year, found that more than 2,000 teen vehicle occupant deaths occur each year.
Data from fatal motor vehicle crashes between 2015 and 2019, reveals 43 percent of teen driver and passenger fatalities involved speeding.
State Highway Safety Offices in the six states will receive grants ranging from $18,000 to $25,000 to create and implement programs to help reduce teen speeding.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for US teens, and speeding is often a significant factor,” said Jonathan Adkins, GHSA Executor Director. “We must remain steadfast in our commitment to combat traffic fatalities and equip teens with the skills they need to be safe drivers.”
Ford Fund and GHSA also are resuming their teen driver safety program – Ford Driving Skills for Life – following a 15-month pause in hands-on training due to COVID-19.
Now in its 18th year, Ford Driving Skills for Life pairs newly-licensed drivers with professional driving instructors for next-level instruction.
