Alive at 25
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| A Jeffco sergeant talks with teens at an Alive at 25 "Take it to the Track" night at Bandimere Speedway. Take it to the Track encourages teens to race at the speedway rather than on the streets. |
A survivor course for drivers age 15-24
The mission of the Alive at 25 program in Colorado is to get young drivers to adopt safe driving practices, take responsibility for their behavior and to be aware of many of the typical driving hazards. The program is taught by Jefferson County deputies in unincorporated Jefferson County high schools, in conjunction with the Colorado State Patrol.
To learn more or sign up for a class, talk to your school's SRO or visit the Alive at 25 Web site.
Read about the Take It To the Track test nights at Bandimere Speedway (PDF).
Program Parameters
It is the objective of Alive at 25 to serve as an intervention program to prevent traffic violations, crashes, and death on Colorado's roadways.
- Designed for drivers age 15-24
- A four-hour classroom setting
- There is no behind-the-wheel driving
- Cost: Check with Alive at 25 for current costs. Vounteer attendees pay less than court-ordered attendees.
- You do not need a temporary driver's permit to attend
- There may be an insurance discount for attending
Leading Causes of Accidents
Research shows the leading cause of young driver accidents involve one or a combination of the following factors:
- Lack of awareness of the consequences of risk-taking behavior
- Lack of experience with complexities of driving
- Peers in vehicle with the youthful driver
- Driving as a social activity
- Impaired driving due to road conditions, including driving at night
- Speeding
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or "party drugs"
As a young driver or passenger, you can greatly reduce your risk by taking control of the situation. Committing to learning or changing your driving behavior makes personal, legal and financial sense.
Statistics for Those Who Don't Want to be a Statistic
Young drivers are involved in fatal crashes more than twice as often as 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 age 15-20
- Annually, more than 326,000 young drivers are seriously injured
- 150 young drivers were killed last year in Colorado... 119 were not wearing safety belts ... 108 of these were ejected from the vehicle
- Nearly 15, or one-fourth, were alcohol related. The average blood alcohol level (BAC) was 0.14. To be considered legally drunk in Colorado the BAC is .08.
- More than half the deaths occurred between Friday and Sunday; 41 percent occurred between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- 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 about 7 percent of the nation's licensed drivers, they are involved in nearly 15 percent of all fatal crashes
Alive at 25: Decisions for Life
Alive at 25 is a survival course developed by the National Safety Council to prevent traffic fatalities, collisions and violations. It is the only such course in the nation taught exclusively by state highway patrol officers, municipal police officers and deputy sheriffs. Its goal is to get attendees to adopt safe driving practices and take responsibility for their behavior.
As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation is able to offer Alive at 25 at a student tuition of just $30, the lowest in the state. This course complies with new Colorado state laws that went into effect in July 2004, compelling all minor drivers under the age of 16 to complete a state-approved driver awareness or driver education program before they can obtain a permit in advance of applying for a driver's license.
Last Modified:
Jun 9, 2010 03:48 PM
