Alive at 25, a class created to teaching safe driving habits to drivers 15 to 24 years old, will host a class in Cortez on Saturday, April 5 at the Cortez Police Department, 608 N. Park St.
Class will be held from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and is being taught by school resource officer Karla Ross.
The 4.5-hour program was designed to teach safe driving to young people, specifically those ages 15 to 24. Students can take the class to fulfill requirements needed to obtain their learner’s permit, if they don’t have their driver’s license.
“It speaks on the root causes of crashes and injury, including poor decision making, distractions, risk taking, speeding, failure to wear a seat belt and impaired driving,” Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation program manager Jared Andrews told The Journal.
The curriculum utilizes various materials to aptly get its message across to students, including video testimonials, visual aids, facts, behavior-shaping advice, role-playing, sharing of personal driving experiences, peer-to-peer interactions and more.
Other content includes driver awareness, controlling your own outcome, passenger responsibilities and knowing limits as a young driver.
Discussion is more frequently used than lectures, Andrews added, and many insurance companies provide discounts to drivers who have completed the course.
After completing the course, students are given the opportunity to complete a survey. According to Andrews, 99% of Colorado’s approximately 250,000 Alive at 25 graduates have said the course “has changed their driving behavior for the better,” and 95% said they would recommend the class to their peers.
Alive at 25 has been taught in Colorado for the past 30 years through a collaboration between the Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation and the National Safety Council. These organizations helped create Alive at 25, starting in 1994, to “commit to preventing car crashes and keeping roadways safe for everyone.”
Those who wish to learn more about Alive at 25 or want to register can do so online at www.Aliveat25.us. Students are asked to arrive early and bring their ID. Students are also permitted to bring their own food and drink.
