Benson Police Department, in partnership with Arizona Chapter National Safety Council,
Launches Alive at 25 Program to Reduce teen fatalities.

Contact:  Margarette Cather, Executive Vice President
602.222.3369 (direct); 602.628.6434 (mobile)
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Benson, Arizona, December 10, 2008 – The Benson Police Department, in partnership with Arizona Chapter National Safety Council, will be premiering the Alive at 25 program for the first time in Arizona beginning December 10, 2008.  Officers from the Department will be teaching the young driver intervention curriculum to students of San Pedro Valley High School to persuade attendees to take responsibility for their driving behavior and to adopt safer driving practices.  Instructors will use skill practices, role-playing, interactive media segments, group discussions, and short lectures to help young drivers develop strategies that will keep them safer on the road.

Vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of death for people between the ages of 16 and 24, accounting for 44% of teen deaths in the United States.  The National Safety Council, a leader in driver improvement training and defensive driving for more than 40 years, developed Alive at 25 to specifically target drivers in this age group which experiences a fatality rate of nearly 6,000 teens per year.

“This program is being used in several states across the country to great effect, with more coming online each day,” said Margarette Cather, Vice President of Arizona Chapter National Safety.  “Especially during the holiday season, if we can prevent just one fatality; prevent one family from having to experience the heartbreak of losing a child, sibling, or loved one, than we have done some good.  Of course we want to ultimately reach the goal of zero fatalities, but just preventing one puts us on the course to achieving that goal.”

Taught by off-duty law enforcement officers and school resource officers, Alive at 25 is not a behind the wheel driving course.  But rather, the program focuses on the behaviors and decision-making paradigms that young drivers and passengers display behind the wheel.  Instructors hold candid conversations with students about what can happen if they practice risky behavior or make other poor decisions in an automobile.  Through Alive at 25 young drivers become more aware of many of the typical driving hazards facing young motorists.

Among the Issues addressed are:

-          Street Racing

-          Cell Phone, Text Messaging and Stereo Distractions

-          Drinking and Driving

-          Safety Belt Consequences

-          Peer Pressure

-          Speeding

-          Fatigue

-          Aggressive Driving and Road Rage

Arizona Chapter National Safety Council covered the costs associated with training and certifying Benson Officers and has also trained three DPS officers and four other instructors statewide this year, with several more instructor training courses scheduled in 2009. 

Classes for San Pedro Valley High School students will be held at Benson High School in two, 2-hour sessions December 10^th and 11^th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 44% of teen deaths in the U.S.

-          Young drivers are involved in fatal crashes at more than twice the rate of all others

-          The first year for a newly licensed teenage driver is the most dangerous, with more than one in five involved in crashes

-          Each year nearly 6,000 teens are killed in vehicular accidents; more than 3,800 are drivers aged 15-20

-          Annually, more than 326,000 young drivers are seriously injured

-          Exceeding the posted speed limit or driving at an unsafe speed is the most common error in fatal teenage accidents

-          More than 1,000 young drivers lose their lives each year in crashes because of an impaired driver, be it themselves or someone else

-          Although this age group represents only 7% of the nations’ licensed drivers, they are involved in nearly 15% of all fatal crashes

Alive at 25 teaches young drivers that:

-          As a driver or passenger, they can greatly reduce their risk by taking control;

-          Committing to changing their driving behavior makes personal, legal and financial sense;

-          People in their age group are more likely to be hurt or killed in a vehicle crash;

-          Inexperience, distractions, and peer pressure cause unique driving hazards;

-          Speeding, alcohol and “party drugs” greatly increase their risk of injury or death.

Alive at 25 includes:

-          Risk identification

-          Interactive Video Participation

-          Experience Sharing with Peers

-          Role-Playing in Various Driving Situations

-          Driving Law Review-Local and State

Media Contact: 
Margarette Cather, 602.222.3369 (direct), 602.628.6434 (mobile), This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it