The Minnesota Highway Safety and Research Center (MHSRC) is conducting a Teen Driving Skills for Life Event July 16 in an effort to target teen driver crashes and fatalities.
The event offers advanced driver training skills for teens in MHSRC-owned vehicles. The training will be offered 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and again from 1:15-5:45 p.m. July 16 at the 160-acre, MHSRC facility, 1805 Highway 10 S.
Teen drivers will learn maneuvers such as off-road recovery, collision avoidance, hazard recognition, reaction time limitations, skid control and more. In addition to the skills training for teens, parents will attend a classroom session featuring guest speakers focusing on the real risks of teen driving. They’ll also have the chance to see their young driver perform maneuvers.
The skills training event is for teens and young adults ages 15-20 with a valid license or permit. A parent is required to attend. Teens with a permit are expected to have sufficient experience to operate a motor vehicle independently.
The cost is $20 for first-time teen participants thanks to a grant from State Farm. Pre-registration is required. Register by email at [email protected] or by phone at 320-255-3123.
Classes are expected to fill quickly. Nineteen spots are available for the July event. Once the class is full, interested individuals can ask to be added to the wait list for notification of future class offerings.
Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and serious injury for young people. Minnesota teen drivers are over-represented in traffic crashes due to driver inexperience, distractions, speeding, risk taking and lack of seatbelt use.
In 2014, only 6 percent of Minnesota drivers were between the ages of 15-19, but they accounted for 12 percent of all traffic accidents and were over-represented in fatal crashes.
The MHSRC, State Farm, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Toward Zero Deaths Coalition and other traffic safety organizations are partnering in this event.
