In light of the recent events involving teen and child safety while travelling to and from school, the Southern Georgia Regional Commission would like to notify the community of two programs we offer to help keep the youth in our region safe – Teens in the Driver Seat and Safe Routes to School – both of which are funded by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Teens in the Driver Seat is a peer-to-peer based program that is very beneficial in promoting safe driving practices among teens. According to the State Farm survey of teenage drivers, 50% of the responses given when asked what would deter teens from reading or responding to text messages while driving were based on peer-to-peer interaction.  Being peer-to-peer based, the Teens in the Driver Seat program discourages unsafe driving habits by providing teenagers with fun interactive methods allowing them to discuss the importance of safe driving habits, all within the school setting. There are also many incentives for schools that implement this program, but more importantly Teens in the Driver Seat helps encourage students to develop and maintain safe driving habits.

The second program, Safe Routes to School, is designed to educate kids on how to walk and bike to school safely through walking and biking educational programs. Georgia's SRTS Resource Center assists schools and communities with education, encouragement, enforcement, evaluation, planning, and other non-construction related SRTS activities. This includes bicycle safety training, proper street crossing techniques, bus safety procedures, and identifying safe paths to and from school. The SRTS program empowers communities to make walking and bicycling to school a safe and routine activity once again.

Both of these programs are free to schools and offer options from curriculum programs, student engagement incentives, and technical assistance. They can also be tailored for urban or rural school settings. If you are a teacher, student, administrator, or parent who would like to learn how to implement these programs in your school, please contact JD Dillard or Amy Martin with the Southern Georgia Regional Commission at 229-333-5277 or visit us online at www.sgrc.us. You can also check out www.saferoutesga.org and www.t-driver.com for more information on these programs.