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Program looks to create better teen drivers

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Accidents involving teenage drivers are on the rise. State transportation officials say from 2015 to 2016 crashes involving teen drivers rose six percent. Now the state is working directly with young people to find new ways to educate them on ways to be safer behind the wheel.

Strive 4 a Safer Drive, a program established in 2011, is becoming a popular choice among high schools trying to teach their students safe driving practices.

Kendall Wingrove is the communications manager for the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. He said teens often come up with some pretty good ideas on how to make a difference because they are still creative and ingenuitive.  

“Distracted driving continues to be a big problem and use of alcohol or drugs. There’s just a wide variety of things and that’s part of what the strive four a safer drive program is hoping to help teens educate other teens”.

Wingrove said the program works because it’s students teaching students how to not only be safe drivers, but also responsible passengers.

“Students at every high school in Michigan have a great opportunity to help make their fellow teens better safer drivers. By taking part in the strive four a safer drive program, and it's an effort to reduce the leading cause of death for teens and that is traffic crashes”.

Wingrove said the program is a competition among all participating schools to see which students can come up with the best campaign.