Free Teen Driving Program Offered at Crowder College in Neosho--March 2, 2006

In an effort to reduce serious automobile crashes involving young drivers, the Southwest Region of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety is funding Crowder College’s Teen Driving Program in Neosho. The 4-hour program combines classroom instruction with actual driving experience on the college’s large asphalt skid pad.

Hazel Long, the Newton County Coordinator for the Southwest Missouri Community Alliance and mother of a 17-year-old son, insisted her son take the class last fall.

“Seven of his fellow students at East Newton High School were killed in car accidents in the past three years,” Long says, “so I insisted he take Crowder’s class. At first he grumbled about having to take it, but when he came home that afternoon, he was totally psyched and said, ‘Mom, I want to do it again in the spring.’”

Topics covered include how to drive in inclement weather, how speed affects driving and how to keep from overcorrecting when the vehicle drives off the pavement edge.

Local schools and individuals may take part in the program. For more information or to register, please contact Sid Allen at Crowder College at 1-800-541-2891 or by e-mail at Sallen@Crowder.edu.

Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety members include local trucking companies, law enforcement, MADD, and various state and federal agencies.